$2 million gift supports UCI Health hospital, cancer center in Irvine

Philanthropists Nancy and Geoffrey Stack build on legacy of healthcare giving 

Nancy and Geoffrey Stack, center, at the UCI Health – Irvine groundbreaking in 2021, with UCI leaders, from left, Michael J. Stamos, MD, dean, UCI School of Medicine; Steven A.N. Goldstein, MD, PhD, Vice Chancellor, Health Affairs; Chad T. Lefteris, CEO, UCI Health; and Brian T. Hervey, Vice Chancellor, University Advancement and Alumni Relations. Photo by Christopher Todd

Irvine, Calif. — UCI Health is pleased to announce a $2 million gift that will benefit the emergency department in the new $1.3 billion UCI Health — Irvine medical campus being built at the corner of Jamboree Road and Birch Street in Irvine.

The gift, funded by the Nancy and Geoffrey Stack Family Foundation, will name the patient welcome areas in the emergency department of the planned acute care hospital as well as at the adjacent Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Care and Ambulatory Care building.

“UCI Health is grateful for the friendship and generosity of Nancy and Geoffrey Stack,” said UCI Health CEO Chad Lefteris. “With their support, we continue to improve access to the clinical innovation, lifesaving research and world-class care of Orange County’s only academic health system.”

In November 2021, UC Irvine and the university’s health enterprise, UCI Health, officially broke ground on the medical complex, which will include a 144-bed general acute care hospital with an emergency department, the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care center and the Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care.

The UCI Health — Irvine complex will support the health system’s growing primary and specialty care network in coastal and south Orange County, Lefteris said.

“UCI Health is a beacon of hope in Orange County,” said Nancy Stack. “The new medical complex will bring hope and healing to our region and will save lives. Jeff and I are honored to support such a worthwhile cause.”

The Stacks are longtime supporters of UCI Health. The couple has made previous philanthropic gifts to support UCI Medical Center in Orange. They are continuing their legacy of giving by investing in healthcare through the UCI Health — Irvine medical campus.

The new UCI Health — Irvine medical campus will complement the UCI Medical Center in Orange and will be a key part in providing the region with the advanced care only available from a health system that is part of a leading, premier academic research institution.

The hospital will include a 24-hour emergency department and will focus onleading clinical programs that include oncology, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics and digestive health. The first patients are expected in 2023 at the Joe. C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care. The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Care and Ambulatory Care building and the hospital will begin serving patients in 2023 and 2025, respectively.

Nancy and Geoffrey Stack Family Foundation was created by the longtime Orange County residents to support education, health and other vital community-based programs in Orange County and beyond. Geoffrey Stack is one of the founding partners of the Sares-Regis Group, a commercial and residential real estate development and management firm. Nancy Stack is founder and president of the Cystinosis Research Foundation, which supports medical research, including stem cell research seeking a cure for the rare disease cystinosis.

UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, and the only academic health system in Orange County. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its flagship campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif. The 459-bed, acute-care hospital, listed among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 21 consecutive years, provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center is home to Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. Visit www.uci.edu to learn more about UCI.

Media contact:
John Murray, UCI Health
310-433-8809