MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center is expanding its emergency geriatric and hospice care programs after receiving a $6 million gift.
The gift comes from the estate of the late Marilyn V. Adams, a former Laguna Woods resident and philanthropist who had previously donated to MemorialCare.
“This care is so needed in this community,” Barry Arbuckle, chief executive and president of Fountain Valley-based MemorialCare health system, overseeing area hospitals including Saddleback Medical Center and MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center, said at a Dec. 2 event announcing the gift.
Saddleback Medical Center is dedicating two initiatives in Adams’ honor: the Marilyn V. Adams Geriatric Emergency Program and the Marilyn V. Adams Comfort Care Fund.
The hospital is using part of the gift to invest in a health navigator for the emergency department to help guide senior patients through their care journey.
“One of the issues with seniors can be delirium, so we want to make sure the environment promotes safety and calmness,” MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center’s Shela Kaneshiro told the Business Journal.
Kaneshiro took over as CEO in April from Marcia Manker, who still runs Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley. Kaneshiro was previously the chief clinical transformation officer at Orange Coast Medical Center for two years and the chief nursing officer for five years before that.
Aging Population in OC
Adams grew up in Ohio and moved to Orange County more than 30 years ago.
About 10 years ago, Adams met with hospital foundation executives at Saddleback Medical Center to see what areas of the hospital she was interested in giving to.
“We knew that she deeply cared about having the hospital that cared for people of all ages, specifically our seniors, across the street as a Laguna Woods resident,” Executive Director of Philanthropy for Saddleback Medical Center Foundation Colleen “Coco” O’Connor said at the event.
Orange County’s aging population has led to an increase in healthcare activity in the area. Earlier this month, UCI Health and City of Hope Orange County opened an all-electric 144-bed, seven-story acute care hospital and 73-bed, six-story hospital, the first in OC exclusively focused on treating and curing cancer, respectively.
The senior population aged 65 and above makes up approximately 17% of Orange County’s 3.1 million population, according to a 2025 report from the OC Office on Aging. This figure is projected to increase by 66% by 2049.
The cities with the highest percentages of older adults include Laguna Woods, a large retirement community near Saddleback Medical Center, at 92%, according to the report.
Establishes Electronic Medical Record
MemorialCare Saddleback’s geriatric emergency program provides 24/7 emergency care for age-related conditions, including falls, confusion, infections and chronic disease complications.
Meanwhile, the comfort care program focuses on relief and quality of care for patients facing advanced illness in which curative treatment is no longer an option or beneficial.
Adams’ gift will help establish an electronic medical record for the latter program, which relied on manual processes until now.
“We want our dedicated hospice care teams to concentrate on our patients and being at the bedside with them, so it’ll improve all these efficiencies,” Kaneshiro said.
Kaneshiro said that outside of senior care, MemorialCare Saddleback is also bolstering women’s services.
Before her arrival, the hospital last year opened a $60 million Women’s Health Pavilion.
The three-story, 42,000-square-foot facility, located across the street from Saddleback Medical Center, touts the only breast center in the region to have radiologists, surgeons and medical oncologists solely focused on diagnosing and treating breast cancer.
Sisters Sarah and Taylor Nederlander donated $2.5 million for the breast center in 2022 through the Harry J. Nederlander Charitable Foundation, which their grandfather founded.
