PRESS RELEASE 01-26-07

Earmarking it the Largest Cleveland Clinic Investment in a Community Hospital to Date

CLEVELAND, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Hillcrest Hospital, a Cleveland Clinic hospital, announced today plans for a five-year, $163 million campus expansion and renovation, making this the largest investment Cleveland Clinic has made to date in one of its nine community hospitals.

"The magnitude of Cleveland Clinic's investment in this project demonstrates the health system's long-term commitment to providing the state- of-the-art, compassionate care Hillcrest Hospital has been known for," said Fred M. DeGrandis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospitals. "This re-development project will not only increase patient access to the best healthcare available on Cleveland's east side, it will allow our physicians to spend more time with patients and enable our nurses and staff to work in an environment that exemplifies their professional and medical expertise."

The project, Expanding Excellence ... Building Tomorrow's Healthcare Today, will launch later this year. Major components of the project, include:

   - An expansion and re-design of the hospital's Emergency Department and
     Level II Trauma Center, which will double in size to accommodate more
     than 60,000 adult and pediatric visits and position these areas for
     future growth. Enhanced cardiac and stroke services will also be a key
     part of the Emergency Department and Trauma Center phase of the re-
     development.
   - A new patient bed tower, including the addition of 72 new private
     rooms.
   - State-of-the-art operating rooms and surgical services areas.
   - Development of a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and
     aesthetic enhancements to the Obstetrics Unit.
   - Renovations and cosmetic improvements to the hospital's main bed tower.
   - Significant infrastructure improvements.
   - Expanded parking

"The substantial changes we are about to undertake at Hillcrest Hospital will serve our medical staff and their patients with the most modern and comfortable facilities and technology available," said Ronald J. Ross, M.D., F.A.C.R., Chairman of the Board of Trustees overseeing Euclid, Hillcrest, Huron and South Pointe hospitals and member of the Executive Committee for the Board of Trustees for Cleveland Clinic.

"Hillcrest Hospital has made a significant investment in this community and the services it provides. This project will involve every area of the hospital and upon completion will bring the value of the Hillcrest Hospital campus to $700 million."

Hillcrest Hospital has experienced consistent increases in hospital admissions and emergency room visits over the last 10 years. The planned expansion strongly positions the hospital to meet the ever-evolving needs of the four-county regions it serves.

"The main driver of this major undertaking is to increase access to anyone who needs the high level of care we provide," said Jeffrey Leimgruber, FACHE, President of Hillcrest Hospital. "The doctors who practice here are among the best in our community and we plan to incorporate their guidance in each step of our design and construction."

Westlake Reed Leskosky from Cleveland will be the architect for the Hillcrest Hospital Development project. The firm is ranked in the top 50 healthcare design firms in the United States and provides fully-integrated design services including architecture, engineering, interior architecture and design. The team, led by Paul Westlake, has supported Hillcrest Hospital for more than 16 years in over 220 projects.

Founded in 1968, Hillcrest Hospital is a 424-bed hospital and features a Level II trauma center including the only community east side hospital with a separate pediatric emergency department, and comprehensive maternity and neonatal care. The full-service facility also provides outpatient surgery, a digestive health center, state-of-the-art radiology services, open-heart surgery; intensive care and coronary units, an oncology center with radiation therapy services and pain management. Hillcrest Hospital has been named eight times as one of the nation's Top 100 Hospitals and a Top 100 Hospital for its cardiovascular services by Solucient.

Cleveland Clinic, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a not-for-profit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. Approximately 1,500 full-time salaried physicians at Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2005, there were 2.9 million outpatient visits to Cleveland Clinic. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 80 countries. There were nearly 54,000 hospital admissions to Cleveland Clinic in 2005. For more information, visit www.clevelandclinic.org.

Source: Cleveland Clinic

CONTACT: Heather Phillips of Cleveland Clinic, +1-216-445-4517, or
phillih@ccf.org

Web site: http://www.clevelandclinic.org/