Newcomer Donates $1 Million to Cottage Hospital
New Montecito Resident Gary Hock Contributes to Construction Fund
Gary Hock recently gave Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation a $1 million cash infusion in order to move along the building of the new Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Construction began in 2005, and the first two patient pavilions are expected to be completed by 2011.
Hock, a new resident of the Santa Barbara area, is an owner of Hock Development Corporation and the president of Durham, North Carolina-based G.M. Hock Construction Inc. Medical office buildings and outpatient facilities for medical providers are a Hock companies’ specialty; according to Cottage Health Systems Public Affairs Director Maria Zate, citing completed projects for more than 30 private physician practices as well as for Duke University Health System, Reliance Insurance, Hewlett Packard, Xerox Financial Services, and General Electric.
Asked why Mr. Hock donated the money, Zate reported that Hock said he considers Santa Barbara and the surrounding community to be his new home and he wants to help out in any way he can. “We feel very fortunate and happy that Mr. Hock has been so generous and has chosen us to donate to,” Zate said.
Zate added that in 2009 alone, the Cottage Health System treated 63,000 patients in its hospitals’ emergency rooms, provided inpatient care for 21,000 people, and delivered 2,600 newborns.
