Steven and Barbara Hearst have donated $500,000 to French Hospital's Beyond Health Campaign that will go towards the addition of a heliport, the medical center announced Monday.
The heliport will be added to the top of the French Hospital parking structure. Hospital staff say the heliport will cut down on response time for treating trauma and critical patients.
It will be called "Hearst Heliport" to recognize the Hearsts' financial gift.
Steve Hearst, great grandson of William Randolph Hearst, and his wife, Barbara, have donated to French Hospital previously, providing a portion of the funds to help the hospital add the Hearst Cancer Resource Center in 2008.
"French Hospital has always impressed me with the way they care for the Central Coast community," Steve Hearst said in a statement. "The new expansion of the hospital, including the heliport, is an important next step in continuing that legacy."
The French Hospital foundation recently received a separate $250,000 grant from the Hearst Foundations.
The expansion is part of French Hospital's "Your New French Hospital" project, which aims to bring a new 16-bed NICU, ten additional ICU beds, new entrance, lobby and dining areas and a garden and meditation area, among other improvements.
