CORONA, Calif., Aug. 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, Founder and Chairman of the KPC Group and KPC Health, was recently presented with the “Above and Beyond” award from the Southern California based non-profit, Crime Survivors. Crime Survivors’ mission is to provide hope and healing to victims and survivors of crime through advocacy and the support of resources, information, and empowerment from the critical time after a crime occurs, through the challenges and successes of surviving and thriving.
In April of 2018, Dr. Chaudhuri and KPC Health generously provided space to establish the first Crime Survivors Resource Center in Southern California. The resource center is located adjacent to Orange County Global Medical Center and Regional Trauma Center in the KPC Health corporate office building and is a place where survivors of crime can find the support and resources they need. The award was given to Dr. Chaudhuri in recognition of this contribution.
The award was presented at Crime Survivors’ annual Hope Gratitude Gala on Friday, August 2nd, which was co-chaired by Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer and Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, and featured veteran and international hero, Spencer Stone, as the keynote speaker.
“We are extremely grateful to Dr. Chaudhuri and KPC Health for their generous support for the Crime Survivors organization,” said Patricia Wenskunas, Founder and CEO of Crime Survivors. “Having a brick and mortar Southern California Resource Center better enables us to provide critical support services to survivors of crime and is a major milestone for our organization.”
“KPC Health is proud to support such an incredible organization that provides a voice for the voiceless and does so much good work for our community,” said Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, Founder and Chairman of the KPC Group and KPC Health. “Patricia Wenskunas is a selfless person that is committed to an important cause, and we look forward to supporting her and Crime Survivors in their future endeavors.”
“Dr. Chaudhuri understands that providing quality healthcare is about more than simply treating a patient when they are sick or injured,” said Peter Baronoff, CEO of KPC Health. “It also requires a commitment to, and investment in, the communities we serve. Dr. Chaudhuri’s work with Crime Survivors is a perfect demonstration of his passion for helping others, especially the truly vulnerable in our society.”
KPC Health owns and operates a group of integrated healthcare delivery systems consisting of acute care hospitals, Independent Physician Associations, medical groups, and various fully integrated multi-specialty medical facilities. KPC Health’s current system of hospitals includes seven full-service acute care hospitals located throughout southern California. In addition, KPC Health recently received court approval to acquire four California hospitals, and seven long-term acute care hospitals and two skilled nursing facilities located in Kansas, Utah, Mississippi, Arizona, Louisiana, and Texas. Once finalized, these acquisitions will bring KPC Health’s integrated healthcare system to 20 facilities nationally.
CORONA, Calif., Feb. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KPC Health’s Global Medical Centers have been selected as recipients for numerous local and national awards related to quality of care, patient safety, and pandemic response. The complete list of awards and facilities are listed below.
“These awards are a testament to the hard work, professionalism, and talent of the healthcare workers at each of our hospitals,” said Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, Founder and Chairman of KPC Health. “Given all that they have sacrificed and gone through this year, it is particularly meaningful to see them receive this well-deserved recognition.”
“I am extremely proud of our doctors, nurses, and staff for being able to maintain excellence in patient care and safety, while simultaneously responding to a once in a lifetime global pandemic,” said Peter Baronoff, Chief Executive Officer of KPC Health. “They are truly the heroes of the day.”
KPC Health owns and operates a group of integrated healthcare delivery systems consisting of acute care hospitals, Independent Physician Associations, medical groups, and various fully integrated multi-specialty medical facilities. KPC Health’s current system of hospitals includes seven full-service acute care hospitals located throughout southern California, including Orange County Global Medical Center, Chapman Global Medical Center, Anaheim Global Medical Center, South Coast Global Medical Center, Hemet Global Medical Center, Menifee Global Medical Center, and Victor Valley Global Medical Center.
DANA POINT, CA — Thanksgiving is drawing nearer, Dana Point. That means a fully-stocked fridge, a perpetually hot oven and very busy kitchen. Thanksgiving is a peak day for home fires, and in Orange County last Thanksgiving, 62 percent of structure fires reported to the OCFA related directly to home cooking, OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy said.
In an effort to combat those statistics, the Orange County Fire Authority released a video demonstration of what not to do while cooking Thanksgiving dinner. The demonstration featured statements by Fennessy and Andrea Dunkelman, the medical director at the Orange County Burn Center in the Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana.
“We at the OC Burn Center encourage families and children to celebrate the holidays safely and responsibly,” Dunkelman said during the conference. “Whether it’s a grease fire, cooking accident, unattended candle or dry Christmas tree, a simple oversight or mistake can quickly turn memorable family moments into tragedy.”
The Orange County Fire Authority encourages all residents to follow these tips to celebrate Thanksgiving safely and fire-free.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A firefighter who barely survived being overrun by flames while battling a Southern California wildfire last October was released from a hospital to cheers on Wednesday after undergoing more than a dozen surgeries.
Dylan Van Iwaarden sat up in a gurney as he was wheeled out of Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana.
His arms were bandaged and he wore a hat and mask but deep scars were visible on his cheeks and hands.
His fellow firefighters and members of law enforcement applauded and high-fived him as he was wheeled down a sidewalk to a waiting ambulance. Van Iwaarden will undergo rehabilitation at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center.
He told the crowd that he was “ready to get going, get moving on” and was excited by the thought that he might someday return to service.
Van Iwaarden’s months-long hospital stay after being overrun by flames
Van Iwaarden was initially placed in a medically induced coma, spent 114 days in the hospital’s burn center and underwent 17 surgeries, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
He needed operations to replace dead skin with skin from other parts of his body, doctors said.
Van Iwaarden was 26 when he and another Orange County Fire Authority firefighter, 31-year-old Phi Le, suffered second-and third-degree burns while setting backfires during the Silverado Fire that began on Oct. 26 near Irvine.
Le was released from a hospital in December. Officials haven’t given details of his condition at the request of his family.
The blaze south of Los Angeles was contained in November after destroying or damaging 14 homes and other buildings. The fire and another blaze just to the north at one point forced the evacuation of 130,000 people.
A crew of eight was setting backfires to burn fuel and create a buffer against the advancing flames when a second fire ignited. The crew was overrun and had no time to deploy portable fire shelters.
Six reported singed hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Van Iwaarden suffered burns to 65% of his body and Le had burns to 50% of his body.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman said Van Iwaarden finally leaving the hospital “is a huge leap forward” for his recovery, but it’s still “a long road ahead.” The founder of Los Angeles-based Grossman Burn Centers did not treat Van Iwaarden, but he’s performed hundreds of surgeries on burn victims during a 25-year career.
Van Iwaarden could face months, if not years, of rehab, including physical therapy, reconstructive surgery and psychological treatment, Grossman said Wednesday.
“The physical therapy will be focused on getting back his range of motion and regaining strength in his hands and arms. Things like making a fist can be very difficult because of scarring. He might need to be trained to walk again,” Grossman said.
Fire officials said Van Iwaarden and the rest of the crew were trying to fight a spot fire that exploded from the size of a living room rug to a 10,000-square-foot inferno in just five to 10 seconds.
The speed at which the fire could spread under conditions at the time was at “historical levels,” nearly three times as fast as the previous record for that location, according to the report. There was a possibility that wind-driven embers from the backfires themselves may have trapped the firefighters.
2701 S Bristol St. Santa Ana, CA 92704 
