BIOTECHNOLOGY

Hoag Child Care: After two years of planning, Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach this month opened a child-care center for its workers at a cost of $1 million.

The center, housed in a new, 7,586-square-foot facility just a five-minute walk from the hospital, opened Jan. 2 with 55 children. It is designed to accommodate 100 children from infants to about age 6.

Judy Walker, director of the center, said she expects it to reach capacity soon, based on the number of Hoag employees who are expectant parents and who have expressed an interest in enrolling their children.

Walker said the rates charged at the center are comparable to other centers--$24 a day for infants and toddlers and $19 for older children. But she said the center will have a better teacher-to-child ratio than some other day-care centers.

The center will have an “open-door policy” that will permit parents to visit their children for lunch or dinner, she said. The center’s hours are from 6:15 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Officials say they hope the center will give Hoag a competitive edge over other hospitals in the region when it comes to recruiting nurses and other medical personnel.