ADVISORY/Kaiser Permanente Celebrates Groundbreaking of New Flagship Los Angeles Hospital.

News Editors/Health/Medical Writers

ADVISORY...for Thursday, Aug. 14

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

DATE/TIME:         Thursday August 14, 2003
                   9:30 a.m. Reception
                   10 a.m. Program

WHO:               Kaiser Permanente leaders will be joined by
                   Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Assemblyman Paul Koretz
                   and Councilman Eric Garcetti.

WHERE:             Kaiser Permanente
                   Los Angeles Medical Center
                   4867 Sunset Boulevard (101 Fwy, Vermont, North to
                    Sunset Blvd., Left on Sunset)
                   Parking at 1549 Edgemont St. Use the Kenmore Avenue
                    entrance to avoid construction

BACKGROUND:        The new flagship hospital will welcome patients in
                   2006, replacing its 50-year-old predecessor that
                   opened in June of 1953.

                   The medical center will have 456 patient rooms, 11
                   labor and delivery suites, and six cardiac surgery
                   suites. The facility will be the first Southern
                   California hospital to build in the computer
                   infrastructure to accommodate Kaiser Permanente's
                   industry-leading automated medical record system to
                   enhance patient care, coordination and safety.  Its
                   nurses' stations and procedure rooms will feature
                   the Picture Archiving and Communication system,
                   eliminating the need for film or traditional X-ray
                   screens.

                   The medical center's abundant green spaces will
                   feature a garden with a play area for pediatric
                   patients, a garden courtyard serving the labor and
                   delivery unit, an outside dining patio facing the
                   park, and a tree-lined green-belt at the corner of
                   Sunset Boulevard and Edgemont Street. Palm trees
                   will line the north side of the boulevard for a
                   three-block stretch.

VISUALS:           VNR featuring mock-ups of patient rooms, operating
                   suites and renderings of the new hospital available
                   upon request.