SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Two children's hospitals in Southern California have completed the merger between their parent companies and will now operate under a new healthcare system, according to a news release Wednesday. Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego announced the closing of their merger, creating a new healthcare system called Rady Children's Health. The first official day of the new system was Jan. 1, officials said. A new logo was revealed Tuesday, and CHOC's mascot, Choco, visited patients and staff at Rady Children's. Choco will now serve as the official mascot of both organizations, the release stated. LIST: San Diego County communities under or at risk of power shutoffs Rady Children's Health is comprised of three hospitals -- CHOC Hospital in Orange, CHOC at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo and Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. Plans to merge were first announced in December 2023. Back in November, California Attorney General Rob Bonta conditionally approved the affiliation of Rady Children's Hospital and Health Center and its subsidiary, Rady Children's Hospital, with Children's HealthCare of California, including its subsidiaries CHOC and CHOC at Mission. The new logo for Rady Children's Health. (Rady Children's Health courtesy photo) However, Bonta's approval came with a set of conditions, including providing charity care and community benefits, limiting price increases for contract renewals and others. To read a full list of the conditions, click here. "This merger marks a pivotal moment in our organizations' rich histories and highlights our commitment to achieving unparalleled excellence in patient care, education, research and advocacy," said Kimberly Cripe, who served as the president and CEO of CHOC since 1997. New California law aims to prevent book bans in libraries statewide Cripe and Patrick Frias, MD, the president and CEO of Rady Children's Hospital in 2018, will be co-CEOs of the new health system, Rady Children's Health. "Our goal is to ensure families have access to the very best practitioners, treatments and technology available in pediatric medicine," said Dr. Frias. Together, the hospitals will continue to build on their affiliations with the University of California, including its medical schools at UC Irvine and UC San Diego, the news release stated. According to health officials, families and patients receiving care at any of the hospitals, clinics and facilities should expect no interruption to services or access to resources under the new merger.