Healthcare Heroes

Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas received the largest philanthropic gift in its 45-year history with the donation of $10 million from the Leichtag Family Foundation in honor of Lee and Toni Leichtag. “This historic gift provides a legacy of caring that will benefit our patients and our community for years to come,” says Scripps president and CEO Chris Van Gorder. The gift supports construction of a new two-story, 60,000-square-foot critical care building with a 27-station emergency department, twice the number on today’s unit. The project is part of the nonprofit hospital’s most extensive expansion effort in several decades.    MIA STEFANKO