Pasadena’s Oldest Hospital Marks 134 Years With Fundraising Campaign

For 134 years, Pasadena has had a community hospital. That streak continued through a pandemic, through a wildfire that displaced half the hospital’s workforce, and through a leadership change that brought a new president through its doors last month.

Now Huntington Health, the nonprofit institution formerly known as Pasadena Hospital, is asking the community to help it mark the milestone. The hospital launched a Founders Day fundraising campaign on February 18 that runs through March 18, according to a hospital statement.

Alongside the financial appeal, the hospital is inviting community members to share personal stories about caregivers who made a difference in their lives.

The anniversary arrives at a transitional moment for the institution.

Dr. John M. Corman, a board-certified urologist who had served as the hospital’s chief clinical officer since May 2023, was named president in January 2026 following a national search, according to a hospital announcement. He succeeds Dr. Lori J. Morgan, who stepped down in late 2025 after eight years leading Huntington Health through the Cedars-Sinai affiliation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Eaton Fire.

The fire tested Huntington as few events in its 134-year history have. When flames swept through Altadena in January 2025, approximately 2,500 of the hospital’s employees — nearly half its workforce — were affected by evacuation orders. Many lost their homes.

“We had many staff working who lost their homes, and yet their dedication meant that they were going to be here to take care of their community,” Morgan said at the time in an interview with LAist.

The hospital maintained emergency and inpatient care throughout the crisis, and became what Morgan called “a beacon for the community” during the disaster.

Huntington Health traces its origins to 1892, when the institution says a group of local citizens organized what would become Pasadena Hospital. The hospital opened its first 16-bed temporary facility in 1899 at the corner of Raymond Avenue and Green Street, according to the hospital’s history, and eventually moved to its present California Boulevard campus.

A $2 million bequest from the estate of railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington helped the hospital survive the Great Depression and gave it a new name: Huntington Memorial Hospital.

Today, the institution, now branded as Huntington Health, operates as a 544-bed Cedars-Sinai affiliate at 100 W. California Blvd. with the San Gabriel Valley’s only Level II Trauma Center and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“Dr. Corman exemplifies the values and vision of Huntington Health and Cedars-Sinai Health System,” said Dr. Peter L. Slavin, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai, in a statement announcing the appointment. “His commitment to clinical excellence, innovation and patient-centered care will strengthen Huntington’s role as a trusted partner in advancing the health of the communities we serve.”

Donations to the Founders Day campaign can be made at https://giving.huntingtonhospital.com/founders.  The hospital can be reached at (626) 397-5000.