Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach Reaches $24 Million Expansion Project Goal

LONG BEACH, Calif., March 18, 2009 – The Memorial Medical Center Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting the philanthropic needs of Miller Children’s Hospital and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, announced today it has reached its $24 million “Building for Children” capital campaign goal through gifts, grants and pledges in support of the Miller Children’s Hospital expansion. The Building for Children campaign, publicly announced in January 2008, was a collaborative capital campaign on behalf of Miller Children’s Hospital, The Children’s Clinic and the Children’s Dental Health Clinic.

“We are extremely grateful for the community’s philanthropic support of our Building for Children campaign,” says Diana Hendel, PharmD, chief executive officer, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Miller Children’s Hospital. “The generosity of the community will enable us to continue caring for seriously ill and injured children, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.”

As one of only two free-standing children’s hospitals in Los Angeles County, Miller Children’s Hospital is in the midst of a major expansion in response to the growing needs of the community. The project includes a four-story 124,000-square-foot inpatient pavilion located adjacent to the hospital’s current building, and extensively renovated clinical space for The Children’s Clinic and Children’s Dental Health Clinic. When the first phase of construction is complete later this year, the new pavilion will house the region’s only dedicated pediatric imaging and pediatric surgery centers, additional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit beds, and a family resource center.

The Earl B. and Lorraine H. Miller Foundation, the hospital’s original benefactors, made a $5 million pace-setting gift to the “Building for Children” campaign. Other major campaign gifts included the Henry L. Guenther Foundation, to benefit the new pediatric surgical center; the Bickerstaff Family Foundation; an anonymous donor; the Ahmanson Foundation, the Ralph Parsons Foundation; Joseph G. Eskin; the S. Mark Taper Foundation; the Annenberg Foundation; the Cherese Mari Laulhere Foundation; Children’s Memorial Hospital Auxiliary; and the Vasek Polak Foundation.

“Physicians, board members, hospital staff and community members all helped us achieve this benchmark,” says Mary Alice Braly, capital campaign co-chair. “More than 1,700 donors contributed to our $24 million goal.”

The Memorial Medical Center Foundation also received a $750,000 conditional challenge grant from the Weingart Foundation in Los Angeles, as well as a $1.25 million challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation in Troy, Michigan, which were contingent upon the campaign reaching the $24 million goal. According to capital campaign co-chair, Walt Florie, the challenge gifts were recently paid in full.

“In order to continue providing exceptional health care for the region’s seriously ill and injured children, vigorous fundraising for the endowment of programs will carry on,” says Jim Normandin, president, Memorial Medical Center Foundation. “Buildings are merely steel and concrete. It takes the best people, programs, and technology to bring them to life.”

In addition to being funded through private philanthropy, the Miller Children’s expansion project is also being financed through hospital operations and Children’s Hospital Bond Act (Propositions 61 and 3) funds.

About Miller Children’s Hospital

Located on the campus of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Miller Children's Hospital is a full-service hospital providing a complete range of primary and specialty care for children of all ages, as well as expectant mothers. The hospital’s many specialized services include the MemorialCare Center for Women; Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center; the Stramski Children's Developmental Center; Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Pediatric Intensive Care Unit; Bickerstaff Pediatric Family HIV Center; Miller Children’s Abuse and Violence Intervention Center; as well as cardiac, cystic fibrosis/pulmonary, endocrine, gastrointestinal, rehabilitation, renal, rheumatology and spina bifida centers. The hospital has been recognized by national organizations such as the Leapfrog Group, an employer group of Fortune 100 corporations and state governments, for high-quality medical care.