Scripps Health Shares its Top News Stories of 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, Scripps Health is sharing its top news stories from the past year. From opening new facilities to driving innovative research to improving patient treatments, Scripps advanced health care in meaningful ways. Here are some of Scripps’ top stories from 2025.

North Tower Opens at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla

Scripps opened the doors to the $664 million North Tower at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. The eight-floor building offers comprehensive mother-baby services, advanced technology operating rooms and spacious private patient rooms. With 188 inpatient beds, the North Tower also is home to inpatient services for cancer, orthopedics, neurology, stroke, spine and trauma. Its 24 neonatal intensive care unit beds are licensed to Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, which operates the NICU in partnership with Scripps.

Spotlight on Industry Issues

Scripps Health President and CEO Chris Van Gorder brought attention to government actions affecting hospitals and health systems, including cuts to Medicaid, tariffs that drive up supply costs, and various unfunded mandates and overregulation. In guest commentaries, he emphasized that these actions will affect all hospitals and may lead to the continued elimination of certain programs or entire hospital closures. 

Lifesaving Care at Race Finish Line

In a dramatic display of courageous and compassionate care, a Scripps nurse practitioner saved the life of a fellow 10K race runner when she noticed signs of distress near the finish line. Nurse practitioner Christina Morcos quickly determined the other runner, Kim Stevens, had suffered sudden cardiac arrest and quickly administered CPR and used a defibrillator to revive her. Stevens was then rushed to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where Morcos became part of her inpatient care team. Morcos’ husband, Scripps cardiologist Peter Morcos, MD, also assisted in saving Stevens’ life at the finish line. Stevens is expected to make a full recovery. 

Smart Shoulder Replacement Implant

News outlets covered a novel research initiative at Scripps Health: the development of a smart shoulder replacement implant that can continuously and remotely monitor and transmit data on the inner workings of a patient’s new shoulder after surgery. To develop the device, researchers will modify an existing shoulder implant with customized wireless technology that can measure mechanical forces, range of motion, temperature and other metrics. Once implanted, investigators will analyze data that could reveal new ways to enhance physical therapy protocols and improve the design of future implant devices. 

Fourth Trimester Continuum of Care

With more women across the United States entering pregnancy with chronic health conditions, Scripps Health recently launched its fourth trimester continuum of care. The program is designed to pre-identify which expectant mothers have chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and excess body weight, which if unmanaged can cause health problems. It offers a streamlined process to proactively help new moms receive the specialized care they need quickly after delivery, so they can stay healthy to care for their newborns. 

Blueprint for Future Growth

The Scripps Health Board of Trustees approved a long-term northern region facilities plan to guide Scripps’ growth strategy and help the health care system serve San Diego communities for generations to come. It includes the purchase of 15 new acres of property in San Marcos for a comprehensive ambulatory facility and an acute-care hospital. Scripps is working with the city of San Marcos to develop the project. The plan also calls for the evolution of Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla into a new state-of-the-art regional medical center that will bring together the expertise and services of both Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and Scripps Green Hospital.

More Precise Cancer Care

Scripps became the first health system in San Diego County to acquire molecular imaging technology designed to make targeted theranostics treatments even more precise. Theranostics is for patients with certain metastatic cancers and involves infusing a radiopharmaceutical drug to first visualize the extent of the disease through imaging, then another infusion to selectively seek and destroy specific cancer cells. Doctors repeat this two-pronged approach over multiple rounds, using imaging to monitor where the drug was distributed and giving the same radiation dose for each subsequent infusion. Scripps’ new imaging technology will give doctors additional information about how much of the radiation dose was retained in the body, which will enable them to tailor the dose of later infusions to meet each patient’s individual needs.

One of America’s Top Employers

Scripps was the only San Diego organization named to Fortune magazine’s national 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2025, which included companies in all industries. Scripps also ranked in the top 10 among health system employers nationally. Companies were assessed on their ability to create a great employee experience across all job levels and business units. Fortune recognized Scripps for creating a high-performing workforce by improving workplace safety; supporting workers in both their professional and personal lives; offering various professional development opportunities; and empowering staff to devise new solutions to workplace challenges.  

Weightlifter Thrives After Shoulder Surgery

The inspiring comeback story of competitive Olympic weightlifter Natasha Henson made headlines in 2025. Scripps Clinic orthopedic surgeon Tim Wang, MD, performed repair surgery on Henson’s torn labrum and bicep, which play key roles in stabilizing the shoulder during overhead barbell lifts. After a year of rehabilitation, Henson returned to competition in 2025 and achieved some of her best tournament performances ever. Now back to full strength, Henson says her goals include achieving a top-10 national ranking in her weight division.

Substance Use Disorder Services

When Cal Hospital Compare announced its 2025 statewide honor roll for leadership in substance use disorder (SUD) services, Scripps’ hospitals earned more spots atop the list than any other health care provider in San Diego County. All four of Scripps’ acute-care hospitals were honored in the list’s top tier of hospitals that achieved superior rankings for at least two straight years. Scripps was recognized for achievements in promoting safe opioid use practices; harm reduction services; short-term care; and navigation to ongoing SUD care in the community.