The Wetterau Family Spiritual Care Center uses immersive technology to transform the space into sacred experiences aligned with guests’ faith traditions

City of Hope Orange County, part of one of the nation’s largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations, has created the first immersive, multi-denominational spiritual space customized to the needs of cancer patients and their families.

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Faith leaders representing five religions joined City of Hope Orange County President Annette Walker on Wednesday, Aug. 20, for an interfaith blessing of the Wetterau Family Spiritual Care Center—the first immersive, multi-denominational spiritual space designed to meet the needs of cancer patients and their families. The center is located within Orange County’s only cancer specialty hospital, which is set to open later this year.

The Wetterau Family Spiritual Care Center was purposefully designed based on feedback from patients and their families and with the expertise of diverse clergy and a former Disney Imagineer. The spiritual care center establishes a new national standard for personalized, whole-person patient care and family support.

In creating the spiritual care center, City of Hope Orange County asked patients and their families an important question: “If you feel the need for prayer and you could be in any sacred space, where would you go?”

Research shows that spirituality improves outcomes and enhances quality of life for people with serious illness. A systematic review of more than 370 articles found robust evidence linking spiritual care to better health outcomes, and 91 percent of people with advanced cancer have spiritual needs. Leading organizations such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommend integrating spiritual care into cancer treatment.

By making a selection on a touchscreen, patients and their families can choose customized faith experiences featuring the sights, sounds and prayer candles from seven sacred spaces: a chapel, mandir, mosque, temple, synagogue, shorelines or an alpine forest.

“The Wetterau Family Spiritual Care Center is a sacred space, intentionally created to reflect the rich spiritual diversity of Orange County,” said Annette Walker, president, City of Hope Orange County. “Our spiritual care center reflects City of Hope’s century-long commitment to taking care of our patients’ mind, body and spirit and uses advanced technology to give them a first-of-its-kind faith experience. This will be a sanctuary for our patients, their families and our staff. We are profoundly grateful to the Wetterau family, the Hamoui Foundation, and Jacqueline DuPont Carlson and Marc Carlson for their generosity in bringing this meaningful space to life.”

The spiritual care center is named in honor of the Wetterau family, whose decades-long commitment to giving back is well-known in Orange County and beyond. Mark Wetterau, a highly regarded philanthropist, business and civic leader who served as the chair and CEO of Golden State Foods from 1998 to 2023, was the first donor to City of Hope Orange County’s strategic fund.

“Mark was guided by his deep faith, which grounded him during his cancer journey,” said his wife, Virginia Wetterau. “He would have loved this healing and deeply spiritual space. By supporting this visionary place, we are continuing our family legacy of caring for others. We know this will be a place of profound comfort to people in very challenging situations.”

Unlike traditional ecumenical hospital chapels that simply display artifacts of many faiths, this sanctuary lets patients personalize their experience, choosing symbols, lighting, soundscapes, and artifacts that bring comfort and peace.

Designed by Experts, Inspired by Survivorship

The immersive experience was created by Roger Holzberg, a former Disney Imagineer, the first consulting creative director for the National Cancer Institute, and co-founder of Reimagine Well, whose mission is to ease the patient journey from diagnosis to well-being using imagination, technology and education. As a cancer survivor and caregiver, Holzberg brought deep personal insight into the design of the space — blending creativity, compassion and a profound understanding of what patients and families truly need.

“For City of Hope to recognize how important it is to give patients and families a way to return to their sacred places — within the walls of a hospital — is extraordinary,” Holzberg said. “The spiritual care center fills you with a sense of the sacred.”

The Nexus of Modern Medicine and Spiritual Healing

City of Hope has long been recognized as a leader in supportive care medicine. The new center is a natural extension of City of Hope Orange County’s extensive supportive care medicine and integrative oncology services, which emphasize cancer research and therapies focused on the needs of the whole person.

“Our spiritual care center reflects our care philosophy. It’s innovative, inclusive, and sets a new standard,” said Annette Morgan, Chief Operating Officer, City of Hope Orange County, who championed a reimagined approach to spiritual care for the cancer specialty hospital. “By thinking creatively, leveraging the latest technology and partnering with faith leaders, we’ve built a sanctuary for patients, their loved ones and staff where they can choose the setting that is most healing to them.”

The Wetterau Family Spiritual Care Center is among the breakthroughs available to patients at City of Hope Orange County’s cancer specialty hospital, opening this year on City of Hope’s academic cancer campus in Irvine. Orange County’s only cancer specialty hospital will bring more advanced cancer therapies and expertise, more clinical trials and a range of supportive services that only a nationally ranked cancer research and treatment organization can provide.

An Inauguration Celebrated with the Community that Helped Design It

Designed in consultation with faith leaders in the community, The Wetterau Family Spiritual Care Center reflects the spiritual diversity of Orange County.

On Aug. 20, religious leaders from across the region participated in a multi-faith blessing accompanied by members of the Grammy Award-winning Pacific Chorale.

Voices from the Faith Community

• Rev. Reynold Furrell, pastor, Saints Simon and Jude Catholic Church: “This Spiritual Care Center is a sacred space. We pray that folks who need support, patients and families seeking comfort, and all those who provide care will enter into the center and find refuge, peace, and hope. It is truly a blessing that City of Hope honors every faith, providing for all people in such a sincere and intentional way.”
• Swami Ishwarananda, resident senior monk at Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles: “When a community comes together in support of those facing cancer, it transforms suffering into shared strength and hope. Through compassion and unity, we remind each person that they are not alone on their journey, and together, we create a circle of healing that uplifts all. Thank you, City of Hope, for creating this circle.”
• Dr. Jihad Turk, founding president of Bayan Islamic Graduate School: “In Islam, supporting those who are ill is not only an act of compassion but a duty that brings the community together in faith and service. When we unite to support those with cancer as we do with this center, we embody the mercy and solidarity that our faith teaches, offering comfort, dignity, and hope to every individual.”
• Rabbi Adam Greenwald, rabbi of Congregation B’nai Israel: "All faith traditions affirm that we are more than just our physical bodies — each of us carries a sacred spark of the Divine within. As the world-class physicians and scientists at City of Hope provide leading-edge medicine to the body, this beautiful and radically inclusive space will contribute to an equally essential refu’at ha-nefesh — a true healing of the soul."
• Rev. Jon Turner, minister, Orange County Buddhist Church: “In the Dharma, we learn that all human beings are connected like the threads of a single robe. This multi-faith spiritual care center honors this truth in such a profound and beautiful way. All people, regardless of their spiritual beliefs, will find this to be a place of solace and healing.”

About City of Hope

City of Hope's mission is to make hope a reality for all touched by cancer and diabetes. Founded in 1913, City of Hope has grown into one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, and one of the leading research centers for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses. City of Hope research has been the basis for numerous breakthrough cancer medicines, as well as human synthetic insulin and monoclonal antibodies. With an independent, National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center that is ranked among the nation’s top cancer centers by U.S. News & World Report at its core, City of Hope’s uniquely integrated model spans cancer care, research and development, academics and training, and a broad philanthropy program that powers its work. City of Hope’s growing national system includes its Los Angeles campus, a network of clinical care locations across Southern California, a new cancer center in Orange County, California, and cancer treatment centers and outpatient facilities in the Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix areas. City of Hope’s affiliated group of organizations includes Translational Genomics Research Institute and AccessHope^TM. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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