Orange Coast Memorial Foundation's 13th Annual Fall Gala, Light Up The Night, Raises $220K

Proceeds Benefit Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center’s New Emergency Pavilion

Brea Family Honored After Having Received New Implantable Defibrillator Protecting Them Against Sudden Cardiac Arrest

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. – The Orange Coast Memorial Foundation hosted more than 250 attendees at its 13th annual Fall Gala, Light up the Night, on Saturday, October 17th at The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point. Proceeds from the black tie event raised $220,000 for the construction of the new Emergency Pavilion at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center (OCMMC).

Visits to OCMMC’s Emergency Department (ED) have grown by more than 23 percent in the past five years and its ED treats more than 32,000 people each year. Nationwide, emergency departments are closing at the rate of 25 percent in the last 20 years. To ensure it continues to provide advanced, life-saving care to those whose lives depend on it, OCMMC is embarking on a major expansion of its Emergency Department. The Emergency Pavilion will be twice the size of its current facility which will enable OCMMC to double its capacity, enhance patient privacy and ensure the prompt delivery of high quality medical care.

Event honoree and Brea resident Jennifer Bobier, 30, knows firsthand how important emergency medical services are to Orange County residents. She was one of Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center’s first patients to receive the Boston Scientific S-ICD® System, the world’s first subcutaneous implantable defibrillator (S-ICD) for the treatment of patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest. The procedure was successfully performed by Dr. Thuy Le, a cardiac electrophysiologist at the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center, on May 22, 2014.

Having suffered from mitochondrial disease since childhood and tragically losing her brother Bradley, 20, in 2011 due to complications from the disease, Jennifer decided to meet with a geneticist who discovered a rare gene called the KCNE1 that confirmed she had Long QT syndrome. Long QT is a rare inherited heart condition that increases the risk of suffering from episodes of an irregular heartbeat that may lead to palpitations, fainting, and sudden death. Jennifer’s brother Chris, 26, followed his sister’s lead and met with a geneticist who discovered the same gene confirming that he too had Long QT syndrome. Dr. Le successfully performed his S-ICD procedure on June 12, 2014 and most recently performed the procedure on their mother Barbara.

Prior to her receiving the S-ICD, Bobier had undergone two unsuccessful ICD procedures to treat her condition. One ICD programming issue caused her to be rushed to Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center’s Emergency Department. While in the hospital, she was referred to Dr. Le who removed the failed ICD and successfully implanted an S-ICD. Bobier was released from the hospital the next day and is slowly returning to the activities she has always enjoyed. “After undergoing two failed ICD procedures, I am so grateful to have found Dr. Le because I feel like we have regained control of our lives,” explains Bobier.

“We would like to thank our generous donors, sponsors and the Bobier family for supporting this special event,” said Marcia Manker, CEO of Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center. “Proceeds from the event will help us to create a state-of-the-art Emergency Pavilion at Orange Coast Memorial and enhance our dedicated ER physicians and nurses’ ability to care for the critically ill and injured people in our community.”

The new Emergency Pavilion will provide OCMMC’s served communities with the following amenities:

• An additional 4,980 square feet of space, for a total of 11,400 square feet
• 27 treatment areas including 16 private treatment rooms, with one exclusively for children
• 5 “fast track” stations for rapid medical evaluations
• Bedside registration
• Separate entrances for ambulances and walk-in patients
• Enhanced space for physician consultations
• A beautiful, spacious welcome area
• A chapel and healing garden
• A designated paramedic area

For more information about Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center or to donate to the Orange Coast Memorial Foundation, please call (714) 378-7397 or visit www.MemorialCare.org/SupportOrangeCoast.