Contract Signed For New Hospital.

Business Editors

SONORA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2000

The contract has been signed today for the new, $44 million Sonora Community Hospital. Hospital president Lary Davis said that Hospital Building and Equipment Company of St. Louis, Missouri will be the General Contractor.

The new complex will be built on the Greenley Road site, and consist of a 119,000 s.f. hospital and a 44,500 s.f. medical office building. Funds for construction have come through the sale of bonds and through hospital reserves and loans from the parent organization, Adventist Health. No tax monies are used in this private-sector building program.

According to Val Devitt, project manager at Sonora Community Hospital, the General Contractor will, to the extent possible, be using local and regional sub-contractors.

Davis also announced that ground breaking will take place on October 25th at 12 noon, and construction should begin soon thereafter. Construction is anticipated (weather permitting) within a two year time period.

The new 60-bed acute care hospital has been designed to expand to 91 beds when the need for additional resources are required in the region. Emphasis is being placed on the increased need for outpatient services. Privacy and efficiency and improved access to all services are key elements in hospital design. 85% of patient rooms will be private, all with commanding views of the Sierra's. The plans also call for a helicopter landing pad, adjacent to the emergency department.

New to this hospital project will be an advanced cardiology service, which includes heart catheterization, and, a comprehensive cancer program encompassing both medical and radiation oncology. A $2 million fundraising program is being launched to provide those two new services.

The hospital has also entered into an agreement to acquire the public parking area now used by the Sonora Plaza and theater, and adjacent to Cutler- Segerstrom Insurance. This will be used for employee parking and will allow for nearly double the amount of space available at the Forest Road campus of the present hospital.

Uses for the present hospital site are under review and will be announced during 2001.

This announcement culminates many years of careful planning on the part of many community agencies and the parent organization. It mirrors the Mission of the hospital to provide quality healthcare and services responsive to the needs of the community. The Greenley Road site, 22 acres, has been held by the hospital since 1991. As part of the approval process the hospital has agreed to help fund certain Greenley Road improvements, including the widening of a portion, and for improvements to the Mono Way-Greenley Road intersection. The hospital has already issued contracts for the installation of a new traffic signal at DelNero Drive and Greenley Road. This addition will also alleviate many of the safety concerns for residents of Sonora Hills. The City of Sonora has already granted a use permit for the site.

Detailed information and photos of this project may be found on the internet: www.newhospital.org.

"We consider it a real pleasure to work in partnership with our community to build a new hospital early in the new century," Davis said. "The cooperation we have had with the city, county,state and many public agencies and commissions has been outstanding. Our own internal family, including physicians, department managers, supervisors and front line staff have helped significantly in designing this 'user friendly' healthcare facility."

Sonora Community Hospital is the largest private employer in the foothills. It is a member of Adventist Health, which represents regional delivery networks spanning California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. The networks are comprised of 85 distinct business units including 20 acute care facilities-controlled, managed or leased-with more than 3,200 beds, 16,500 employees, numerous clinics and outpatient facilities, medical foundations and 18 home health agencies. For more information visit www.adventisthealth.org.