Content Standards

TELL AN ENGAGING STORY 
Focus on communicating our purpose, our capabilities, our actions, and our impact on the health and well-being of children. 

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE 
Depending on the context we may be speaking to patients, parents, donors, partners, medical professionals, and beyond. We have one compelling brand story, but it should be nuanced to address the interests of a specific audience. Take the time to communicate your ideas appropriately. 

STRIVE FOR CLARITY 
CHOC is a complex organization providing extensive value to children and their families, on many levels. With so much to say, it’s easy to try to say too much. Stay focused, and stay on point. Keep it simple, clear and honest. 

CONFIDENT 
We are authorities in our many fields of expertise, but we’re never arrogant or boastful. We never talk down to our audiences, and we support our message with data and accountability. 

HUMAN 
Every health system deals with people, but focusing on children’s health adds an ever deeper level of emotion. To advance our mission, we must earn the trust of everyone we interact with. Our general tone should be warm, straightforward and supportive. 

POSITIVE 
Despite the fact that every child’s path cannot have the best outcome, we maintain an underlying message of hope. We tell it like it is, but our commitment to research and innovation inspires our optimism. 

Contact the CHOC Marketing & Experience department at pr@choc.org.

• We understand illness or injury can be scary and overwhelming, especially when it comes to your kids. When you choose a world-class, pediatric healthcare community, your children receive specialized treatment and services in facilities specifically designed for them.  And you get peace of mind. 
• We know that all parents want their children to have the best medical care that’s easily accessible and convenient.  The problem though is that a crowded marketplace and information overload make it difficult to find the right pediatrician and healthcare home. This can make you feel anxious and lost about where to start, especially when time is of the essence.  
• At CHOC, we understand the pressure parents feel to choose the right healthcare option for their children. That’s why we’ve created a community of medical experts committed to providing the right care at the right time at the right place.  After all, we’ve been in the community since1964, and we’ve received Magnet designation three times, been ranked numerously by U.S. News and World Report as a Top Hospital, and we’ve earned the Beacon Award for excellence in critical care. We think it should be easy for parents to give their children, of any age, the best care possible.

Professional titles 

Professional titles are capitalized only when they immediately precede a person’s name. Otherwise, they are lowercased.

Examples:

• CHOC President and Chief Executive Officer Kimberly Chavalas Cripe provided the keynote address.
• CHOC president and chief executive officer provided the keynote address.
• Kimberly Chavalas Cripe, CHOC’s president and chief executive officer, provided the keynote address.

Job descriptions

Terms that are job descriptions rather than formal titles — for example, associates, volunteers, physicians, nurses, etc. — are lowercased.

Department/specialty names

Because AP style avoids unnecessary capitalization, CHOC departments, units and facilities that are common to other institutions are lowercased. Specialties are also lowercased.

Examples: neonatal intensive care unit, marketing and communications department, immunology; etc. 

Departments unique to CHOC

Departments that are unique to CHOC or those common to other hospitals but have unique names are uppercased.

Examples: The Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department at CHOC Hospital, Associate Health, etc. 

Numerals

In general, spell out numbers nine and lower and use numerals for numbers 10 and higher. Measurements sand ages are exceptions. Spell out numbers that begin a sentence (the exception being a year).

Examples:

• CHOC has four centers of excellence.
• CHOC Hospital has 334 beds.
• The patient walked 3 feet to the nurses’ station.
• One hundred associates attended the forum at 8:30 a.m.

Commas

A comma does not fall before the conjunction in a simple series:  We have clinics in many cities, including Newport Beach, Santa Ana and Orange.

In a series with multiple conjunctions and complex phrases, a comma does fall before the final conjunction: CHOC’s cafeteria served hamburgers, salad, and macaroni and cheese for lunch.

Nonessential phrases (phrases that provide more information but are not essential to the sentence’s meaning) are set off by commas: CHOC mascot, Choco Bear, made an appearance at the event.

Healthcare exception

“Healthcare” is one word in CHOC publications. This is an exception to AP style.

CHOC  
CHOC is the brand for the CHOC health system, including all services and locations. If you need to specifically designate the hospital locations of Orange and Mission in one document, they should be listed as CHOC Hospital and CHOC at Mission Hospital, with subsequent references as CHOC Orange and CHOC Mission.  

The entire name, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, should be used only on legal documents and must appear in the footer of all web pages. You will also see references to CHOC Children’s, CHOC Children’s Hospital.

Associate
Associate is CHOC’s preferred internal reference for employees. It is lowercased.

Medical Staff
Medical Staff refers to all CHOC clinicians. “Providers” should not be used.

CHOC Hospital  
CHOC Hospital should be used whenever defining a physical location in the hospital in Orange. e.g., Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department at CHOC Hospital. Subsequent references would be CHOC Orange.  

CHOC Orange  
Refers to the campus location as a whole. 

CHOC at Mission Hospital  
CHOC at Mission Hospital should be used whenever referring to the hospital location in Mission Viejo. Subsequent references would be CHOC Mission. CCMH should not be used externally.  

CHOC Institutes  
The heart, orthopaedics, neuroscience and cancer Institutes should be referred to by their full name on first reference. (ie – CHOC Heart Institute.)  Subsequent references would be (specialty) Institute.  

The Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC should be spelled out once per spread in written publications or once per page in digital applications, with Cancer Institute for additional references in the same spread.  

The CHOC Heart Institute should be referred to by its full name on first reference. Subsequent references would be the Heart Institute

The CHOC Neuroscience Institute should be referred to by its full name on first reference. Subsequent references would be Neuroscience Institute.

The CHOC Orthopaedic Institute (note the spelling of orthopaedic) should be referred to by its full name on first reference. Subsequent references would be the Orthopaedic Institute.

The CHOC Research Institute

Fetal Care Center of Southern California
The Fetal Care Center is appropriate on second reference. The center is appropriate on any subsequent references.

Neonatal Intensive Care Units
On first reference, spell out neonatal intensive care unit. Subsequent references would be NICU.

The main NICU at CHOC Orange includes the Small Baby Unit and the Surgical, Cardiac and Neurocritical NICUs. They should be referenced as programs in our NICU.

Our NICU at St. Joseph Hospital should be referred to as the CHOC Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph Hospital. Subsequent references would be CHOC NICU at SJH or St. Joseph Hospital.

CHOC Foundation
The foundation should be referred to as the CHOC Foundation on first reference. Subsequent references can be the Foundation.

CHOC Specialists

CHOC Primary Care (Primary Care Network)

CHOC Clinics vs Health Centers

The use of the donor name in referencing an area should only be done on the first reference for areas or programs funded by a donor for $1 million or more. It is not necessary for all minor areas to include the donor name.

Bill Holmes Tower  
First reference should include the full name, Bill Holmes Tower and be referring to a service or location within the south tower. Additional references would be Holmes Tower. 

Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Department
This is the full name of the department and should be used on first reference. The “child life department” or “child life team” is appropriate on second and subsequent references. “Child life” is also appropriate, but note clarification is needed as many lay people may not be familiar with this service or these professionals.

Cherese Mari Laulhere Mental Health Inpatient Center, The
This is the full name of the facility. The “mental health inpatient center” or “center” is appropriate on second reference.

Cherese Mari Laulhere Young Child Clinic
This is the full name for a program for children ages 3 to 8 who are experiencing behavioral and emotional challenges, mental health issues and school readiness challenges, and should be used on first reference. On second and subsequent references, “the Young Child Clinic” or “the clinic” is appropriate.

CHOC Padrinos Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
This is the full name of the unit and should be used on first reference. The “cardiovascular intensive care unit” (note lowercase) is appropriate on second reference. On third and subsequent references, CVICU is appropriate so long as parenthetical clarification is provided after the second reference (i.e., “cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU)”).

Credit Unions for Kids Community Engagement Center
This is the full name of the center, located in the CHOC Foundation’s suite, and should be used on first reference. “Engagement Center” or “the center” is appropriate on subsequent references.

Dhont Family Foundation Outpatient Infusion Center
This is the full name of the facility and should be used on first reference. The “outpatient infusion center” (note lowercase) is appropriate on second reference. On third and subsequent references, OPI is appropriate, so long as parenthetical clarification is provided after the second reference (i.e., “outpatient infusion center (OPI)”).

Foundation of Caring Lysosomal Storage Disorder Program | Foundation of Caring Research Laboratory
This is the full name of the program and the area where the research of the program is conducted and should be used on first reference. The “program” or “laboratory” is appropriate on subsequent references.

Glass Slipper Guild Post Anesthesia Care Unit
This is the full name of the facility and should be used on first reference. The “post anesthesia care unit” (note lowercase) or “recovery center” is appropriate on subsequent references. “PACU” is appropriate on third and subsequent references, so long as parenthetical clarification is provided for the second reference (i.e., “post anesthesia care unit (PACU)”).

Gregg and Celin Miller Radiology Department
This is the full name of the physical space and should be used on first reference. On subsequent references, “the radiology department” is appropriate. When referring to the program, however, radiology is fine.

Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s
The Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s (and all institutes) should be referred to by its full name on first reference. Subsequent references should be the Cancer Institute. The Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s should be spelled out once per spread in written publications or once per page in digital applications, with Cancer Institute for additional references in the same spread.

Hyundai Hope on Wheels Drive-thru Testing Centers
This is the full name of the physical tents located at CHOC’s outpatient evaluation center.

J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation CHOC Oncology Patient Ball
This is the full name of the annual event and should be used on first reference. On second reference, “CHOC Oncology Patient Ball” is appropriate. On third and subsequent references, “the ball” is appropriate. Do not refer to the event as “the prom.”

Josie Y.S. Lee Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
This is the full name of the unit and should be used on first reference. The “pediatric intensive care unit” (note lowercase) is appropriate on second reference. On third and subsequent references, PICU is appropriate so long as parenthetical clarification is provided for the second reference (i.e., “pediatric intensive care unit (PICU)”).

Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department at CHOC Hospital
This the full name of the emergency department in Orange and should be referred to as such on first references. Subsequent references would be “CHOC ED” or “emergency department.”

Kelly Lee Tarantello Gift Shop
This is the full name of the gift shop, located on the second floor of the Bill Holmes Tower, and should be used on the first reference. The “gift shop” (note lowercase) is appropriate on second and subsequent references.

Minon Bridge
This is the full name of the bridge that connects the associate parking structure to the Bill Holmes Tower at CHOC Hospital. Note that clarifying language is needed until this new naming becomes socialized across the campus. The “associate bridge” or “bridge” is appropriate on subsequent references.

Monica and Christopher Furman Family Resource Center
This is the full name of the center, located on the second floor of the Bill Holmes Tower, and should be used for the first reference. On second and subsequent references, “family resource center” (note lowercase) should be used.

Nick G. Anas, MD Critical Care Floor
Use the full name on first reference to refer to the sixth floor of the north tower of CHOC Hospital.

Panda Cares Centers of Hope
This name refers to the collective spaces of the meditation and prayer room and the outdoor garden and dining space, both located on the second floor of the Bill Holmes Tower. When referencing each space individually, Panda Cares Centers of Hope meditation and prayer space and Panda Cares Centers of Hope outdoor garden and dining space should be used (note lowercase). On the second reference, “meditation and prayer space” and “outdoor garden and dining space” should be used.

Richard C. and Virginia A. Hunsaker Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Child Life Program
This is the full name of the department and should be used on first reference. The “adolescent and young adult oncology program” is appropriate on second reference. On third and subsequent references, “AYA oncology program” is appropriate so long as parenthetical clarification is provided for the second reference (i.e., “adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology program”). Note the inclusion of “oncology” in these references as the 2020-21 strategic plan outlines the formation of additional AYA programs.

Rite Aid Corporation Outpatient Pharmacy
This is the full name of the facility (and two satellite locations) and should be used on first reference. The “outpatient pharmacy” (note lowercase) is appropriate on subsequent references.

Sharon Disney Lund Medical Intelligence and Innovation Institute (MI4)
This is the full name of the institute and should be used on first reference. MI4 is appropriate on subsequent references.

Thompson Autism Center at CHOC
This is the facility’s full name. On second reference, “the Center” or “the Thompson Autism Center” is suitable.

Tidwell Procedure Center

William, Jeff and Jennifer Gross Family Foundation Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
This is the full name of the unit at CHOC Hospital in Orange and should be used on first reference. The “neonatal intensive care unit” (note lowercase) is appropriate on second reference. On third and subsequent references, NICU is appropriate so long as parenthetical clarification is provided for the second reference (i.e., “neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)”).

William, Jeff and Jennifer Gross Family Foundation Small Baby Unit
This is the full name of the expansion space on the fourth floor of the Bill Holmes Tower and should be used on first reference. The Small Baby Unit (noting capitalization) is appropriate on second references. On third and subsequent references, SBU is appropriate so long as parenthetical clarification is provided for the second reference (i.e., “Small Baby Unit (SBU)”).

California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton is the university’s full name and is recommended in most editorial development, at least on first reference.

Cal State Fullerton is an informal expression and preferred second reference.

CSUF is an acronym used to keep copy flowing, especially in a long narrative with multiple references to California State University, Fullerton, or Cal State Fullerton as an adjective to clarify, for example, someone’s affiliation with the university for locations such as CSUF Irvine.

Incorrect Uses:CSU Fullerton; Fullerton State; CSF; Cal State University, Fullerton; Cal State Fullerton University

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UC Irvine Douglas Hospital
The building that opened March 2009 at UC Irvine Medical Center. Originally known as University Hospital.

UC Irvine Health
UC Irvine’s clinical enterprise, which comprises UC Irvine Medical Center and its off-site patient care locations, University Physicians & Surgeons faculty practice organization and School of Medicine clinical departments. This name is to be used when referring to all patient care-related activities for University of California, Irvine.

UC Irvine Medical Center
The principal patient care and teaching location for UC Irvine Health. This name is to be used to describe the physical location of the hospital and in instances where information pertains to the medical center only. Always refer to the medical center as UC Irvine Medical Center on first reference; the medical center is acceptable thereafter. Do not use “UCIMC.”

University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine is the preferred first reference for unfamiliar audiences (regional, national, international). Use UC Irvine in first reference for local audiences and UCI thereafter for any target audience. In sentence form, there is no comma after Irvine. “The University of California, Irvine is the youngest institution in the Association of American Universities…”

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