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As medical director of the CHOC Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Nick Anas, M.D., feels a strong personal commitment to the children and parents of Orange County. He wants them to be able to go to sleep every night knowing that if the worst should happen, CHOC and all of its resources will be there.
"In all of this country's major metropolitan areas, the children's hospital is treasured and protected by the citizens and the business community," he says. "CHOC needs that same kind of community support. In turn, we must promise the community that CHOC will be there for them."
Dr. Anas joined the CHOC medical staff in 1987, shortly after completing fellowship training. He chose to specialize in pediatric critical care because of the challenges and the possibilities.
When a parent's worst nightmare comes true, Dr. Anas' team steps in, treating the most critically ill and injured children in the CHOC PICU. Similar to the CHOC Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which provides leading-edge care for newborns transferred directly to CHOC, the PICU is designed for older children.
On any given day, CHOC PICU patients may include babies, children and adolescents who have experienced traumatic injuries from accidents or near-drowning incidents. The CHOC PICU team also provides expert care for serious infections and acute or chronic lung diseases, as well as post-operative care after open heart surgery or neurosurgery.
"CHOC is a relatively young children's hospital, but we provide care that is equal to any other children's hospital in the nation," Dr. Anas says. "We have to be excellent because there is no room for mediocrity."
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Children's Hospital of Orange County | 
University of California, Irvine