Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego announce plans to transform pediatric health in Southern California

Nationally recognized pediatric health systems seek to merge to advance children’s health and outcomes in the region

(San Diego/Orange County, CA, Dec. 20, 2023) — Children’s HealthCare of California, the parent company of Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), and Rady Children’s Hospital and Health Center, the parent company of Rady Children Hospital-San Diego (Rady Children’s), have entered into an agreement to merge CHOC and Rady Children’s under a single parent entity called Rady Children’s Health.

Building upon a decade-long collaboration in clinical care and research, CHOC and Rady Children’s have proposed the creation of an advanced pediatric health system that aims to build on our excellence to further:

• improve patient outcomes in Southern California;
• accelerate research and innovation that lead to new treatments and cures;
• retain and attract top talent across all functions and specialties;
• increase access to pediatric care;
• promote health equity; and
• train the next generation of pediatric physicians and health care workers.

CHOC’s President and CEO, Kimberly Chavalas Cripe, and Rady Children’s President and CEO, Patricio A. Frias, MD, will be appointed co-CEOs of the new parent company.

The hospitals will remain focused on the communities they serve and maintain separate medical staffs and governing boards. They will also build on their respective affiliations with the University of California and its medical schools at UC Irvine and UC San Diego—relationships that are vital to advancing pediatric research, training and education.

 “CHOC and Rady Children’s – both nationally recognized for clinical excellence and compassionate care – have put forward a shared vision that puts children and their families first, ensuring them access to the very best practitioners, treatments and technology available in pediatric medicine,” said Rady Children’s Board of Trustees Chair Paul Hering.

Added CHOC Board of Directors Chair Doug McCombs, “CHOC and Rady Children’s have similar missions and visions and complementary cultures focused on innovation, and a dynamic history of collaboration that has enhanced children’s health in our communities.”

For more than a decade, CHOC and Rady Children’s have collaborated on critical initiatives that advance pediatric care, research, and innovation, such as, project Baby Bear, a rapid Whole Genome Sequencing (rWGS) initiative that quickly diagnoses infants with rare diseases, and the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative grant. These collaborative efforts have built a strong foundation for CHOC’s and Rady Children’s integration.

The proposed merger will undergo customary regulatory review and the transaction is expected to close in 2024.

About CHOC: Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), a nationally recognized pediatric healthcare system based in Orange County, California, is committed to being a leading destination for children’s health by providing exceptional and innovative care. CHOC’s community includes two state-of-the-art hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo and a regional network of primary and specialty care clinics serving children and families.  CHOC offers several clinical programs of excellence providing the highest levels of care for the most serious pediatric illnesses and injuries, physical and mental.  CHOC’s research and innovation institutes are focused on translating real patient needs into real-world treatments so every child can live the heathiest and happiest life possible. In affiliation with the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, CHOC collaborates to train future physicians, future pediatric specialists, conduct groundbreaking research, and develop innovative care coordination to serve the children in our community.

Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego is the largest children’s hospital on the West Coast and one of the nation’s top pediatric health care systems. Ranked as one of the 10 best children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News and World Report in 2023, Rady Children’s includes a 511-bed pediatric hospital that serves as the largest provider of comprehensive pediatric medical services in San Diego, southern Riverside and Imperial counties. With more than 40 locations, Rady Children’s is the only health system in the San Diego area dedicated exclusively to pediatric health care and is the region’s only designated pediatric trauma center. Rady Children’s is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations to support its mission.  For more information, visit rchsd.org and find us on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.