Eisenhower Medical Center
Encyclopedia
The Eisenhower Medical Center is a not-for-profit hospital located in Rancho Mirage, California
. It was named one of the top one hundred hospitals in the United States in 2005 and is adjacent to the world-famous Betty Ford Center
.
Named for U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
, the hospital credits its initial creation to two events in 1966 when entertainer Bob Hope
was asked to lend his name to a charity golf tournament
and to serve on the board of the hospital that would be built from the tournament's proceeds. The original 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of land were donated by Bob and Dolores Hope
and both helped raise private funds for the hospital's construction. Construction began in 1969; the groundbreaking ceremony was attended by President Richard Nixon
, Vice President Spiro Agnew
, Governor Ronald Reagan
, and entertainers Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra
, Bing Crosby
, Gene Autry
, and Lucille Ball
. The main Eisenhower hospital opened in November 1971, containing 289 beds. Among the early trustees were actress Martha Hyer
(the wife of film producer Hal B. Wallis
) and Roy W Hill.
The now world-famous Betty Ford Center
was established in 1982 by former First Lady Betty Ford
, a resident of Rancho Mirage. The three original medical buildings were named for local philanthropists Mr. and Mrs. Walter Probst, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Kiewit and Mrs. Hazel Wright. Philanthropists Walter
and Leonore Annenberg
donated funds to establish the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences. A $212.5 million, four story, state-of-the-art addition to the hospital, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Pavilion, opened for patient care on November 2, 2010. Lee Annenberg donated over $100 million to Campaign Eisenhower, Phase II. Other institutions on the campus include the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center and the Dolores Hope Outpatient Care Center. Dolores Hope has served in the capacities of President, Chairman of the Board and Chairman Emeritus since 1968 and has participated in every major decision regarding the hospital since then.
By 1990, the hospital's 3000th open heart surgical
procedure was performed. The work that the Hopes placed in the Eisenhower Medical Center continued to earn them worldwide accolades and honors, including a combined total of sixty honorary doctorates. The center's twenty-fifth anniversary in 1996 saw the Hopes receive its most prestigious award, the Eisenhower Centennial Award.
The world's attention was turned to Eisenhower Medical Center in January, 2006 when President Gerald Ford
was admitted for sixteen days for treatment of pneumonia
. Upon Gerald Ford's death on December 26, 2006 his body was taken to Eisenhower Medical Center where Betty Ford issued a press release confirming his death. His body remained there until the start of funeral services
on December 29. Former United States Chief of Protocol and philanthropist Leonore Annenberg
died at Eisenhower on March 12, 2009.
The facility's new Walter and Leonore Annenberg Pavilion, an inpatient pavilion connected to the north end of the existing hospital, opened in late 2010. Ground-breaking for the project was held three years earlier, in 2007. The $215 million project was the twelfth-largest construction project undertaken in the State of California.
Rancho Mirage, California
Rancho Mirage is a resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal population can exceed 20,000. In between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the eight cities of the Coachella...
. It was named one of the top one hundred hospitals in the United States in 2005 and is adjacent to the world-famous Betty Ford Center
Betty Ford Center
The Betty Ford Center , is a non-profit, separately licensed residential chemical dependency recovery hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, that offers inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment for alcohol and other drug addictions as well as prevention and education programs for family and children...
.
Named for U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, the hospital credits its initial creation to two events in 1966 when entertainer Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
was asked to lend his name to a charity golf tournament
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
The Bob Hope Classic is a professional golf tournament played each January in California's Coachella Valley. Part of the PGA Tour's early season West Coast Swing, this tournament is well known for its celebrity pro-am, as well as having five daily 18-hole rounds of competition vs. the Tour standard...
and to serve on the board of the hospital that would be built from the tournament's proceeds. The original 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of land were donated by Bob and Dolores Hope
Dolores Hope
Dolores Hope, DC*SG was an American singer, philanthropist and wife of actor/comedian Bob Hope.-Early life and career:...
and both helped raise private funds for the hospital's construction. Construction began in 1969; the groundbreaking ceremony was attended by President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, Vice President Spiro Agnew
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Theodore Agnew was the 39th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Richard Nixon, and the 55th Governor of Maryland...
, Governor Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, and entertainers Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
, and Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
. The main Eisenhower hospital opened in November 1971, containing 289 beds. Among the early trustees were actress Martha Hyer
Martha Hyer
Martha Hyer is an American actress.She attended Northwestern University and was a member of Pi Beta Phi fraternity. After completing her education, she next appeared in The Locket in 1946...
(the wife of film producer Hal B. Wallis
Hal B. Wallis
Hal B. Wallis was an American film producer.-Career:Harold Brent Wallis was born in Chicago in 1898. His family moved in 1922 to Los Angeles, California, where he found work as part of the publicity department at Warner Bros...
) and Roy W Hill.
The now world-famous Betty Ford Center
Betty Ford Center
The Betty Ford Center , is a non-profit, separately licensed residential chemical dependency recovery hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, that offers inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment for alcohol and other drug addictions as well as prevention and education programs for family and children...
was established in 1982 by former First Lady Betty Ford
Betty Ford
Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford , better known as Betty Ford, was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977 during the presidency of her husband Gerald Ford...
, a resident of Rancho Mirage. The three original medical buildings were named for local philanthropists Mr. and Mrs. Walter Probst, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Kiewit and Mrs. Hazel Wright. Philanthropists Walter
Walter Annenberg
Walter Hubert Annenberg was an American publisher, philanthropist, and diplomat.-Early life:Walter Annenberg was born to a Jewish family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 13, 1908. He was the son of Sarah and Moses "Moe" Annenberg, who published The Daily Racing Form and purchased The Philadelphia...
and Leonore Annenberg
Leonore Annenberg
Leonore Cohn Annenberg , also known as Lee Annenberg, was an American businesswoman, government official, and philanthropist. She is former Chief of Protocol of the United States . Annenberg was married to Walter Annenberg, who was an Ambassador to the United Kingdom and a prominent businessman...
donated funds to establish the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences. A $212.5 million, four story, state-of-the-art addition to the hospital, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Pavilion, opened for patient care on November 2, 2010. Lee Annenberg donated over $100 million to Campaign Eisenhower, Phase II. Other institutions on the campus include the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center and the Dolores Hope Outpatient Care Center. Dolores Hope has served in the capacities of President, Chairman of the Board and Chairman Emeritus since 1968 and has participated in every major decision regarding the hospital since then.
By 1990, the hospital's 3000th open heart surgical
Cardiac surgery
Cardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...
procedure was performed. The work that the Hopes placed in the Eisenhower Medical Center continued to earn them worldwide accolades and honors, including a combined total of sixty honorary doctorates. The center's twenty-fifth anniversary in 1996 saw the Hopes receive its most prestigious award, the Eisenhower Centennial Award.
The world's attention was turned to Eisenhower Medical Center in January, 2006 when President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
was admitted for sixteen days for treatment of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. Upon Gerald Ford's death on December 26, 2006 his body was taken to Eisenhower Medical Center where Betty Ford issued a press release confirming his death. His body remained there until the start of funeral services
Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford
On December 26, 2006, Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, at 6:45 p.m. local time . At 8:49 p.m...
on December 29. Former United States Chief of Protocol and philanthropist Leonore Annenberg
Leonore Annenberg
Leonore Cohn Annenberg , also known as Lee Annenberg, was an American businesswoman, government official, and philanthropist. She is former Chief of Protocol of the United States . Annenberg was married to Walter Annenberg, who was an Ambassador to the United Kingdom and a prominent businessman...
died at Eisenhower on March 12, 2009.
The facility's new Walter and Leonore Annenberg Pavilion, an inpatient pavilion connected to the north end of the existing hospital, opened in late 2010. Ground-breaking for the project was held three years earlier, in 2007. The $215 million project was the twelfth-largest construction project undertaken in the State of California.