City of Hope Orange County Opens Immersive Multi-Faith Center

City of Hope Orange County has introduced a groundbreaking approach to healing: the world’s first immersive, multi-faith spiritual care space designed specifically for cancer patients.

Created by Roger Holzberg, a cancer survivor and former Disney Imagineer, the new center enables patients and their families to step into sacred spaces representing multiple faith traditions or into serene natural landscapes with the simple touch of a screen. Inspired by Disney magic but grounded in clinical research, the space offers comfort, reduces distress, and supports healing outcomes.

Tammy McInerney is a patient at City of Hope Orange County. She says the new Wetterau Family Spiritual Care Center inside the new hospital will be a place of refuge for her and others fighting cancer.

"It's a quiet place. A place where you can reflect," McInerney said. "I'm actually looking forward to trying all of the immersive experiences. I feel like I can get something from every experience."

The spiritual care center is part of City of Hope’s $1.5 billion investment to expand cancer treatment in Orange County. The county’s only cancer specialty hospital is set to open in December. Leaders say it will be seamlessly connected to the Lennar Foundation Cancer Center, which opened in 2022, making it the most advanced network of cancer care in the region.

The spiritual center will be inside the new hospital that's scheduled to open on December 1. COH President Annette Walker says they put a lot of thought into the space and used scientific research to make sure patients get the most out of it.

"The evidence is that 70% of cancer patients indicate that spiritual care is an important element of their healing," Walker said. "So we knew we had to find a way to address spiritual care in a unique way."

Walker says they wanted to create a space that would reflect the diverse community in Orange County. So they used immersive reality to allow patients to choose their faith space.

"We created a room and a space that has 5 religious spaces and 2 natural spaces," Walker said. "The goal is for patients to find what they need for healing."

City of Hope leaders say they hope these additions will further the organization’s mission: treating not just the disease, but the whole person—including body, mind, and spirit.