Sharp HealthCare Foundation Reaches $50 Mi...( Gifts from Community Will Fund 20...),Health

Gifts from Community Will Fund 20 Percent of Cost for New Hospital

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sharp HealthCare Foundation announced that it has reached its $50 million Capital Campaign goal, the largest and most important philanthropic effort Sharp has ever undertaken. A recent gift of $500,000 from the Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation placed the campaign's total at $50,210,000.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071220/DC10448 )

"It's only fitting that the Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation made the gift to help us achieve our goal," said Bill Littlejohn, CEO of Sharp HealthCare Foundation. "They launched the modern era of philanthropy for Sharp nearly two decades ago with a $5 million gift to establish the Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women."

The campaign has raised $40,321,000 for Sharp Metropolitan Medical Campus, including the new Sharp Memorial Hospital; $5,879,000 for Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center; and $4,010,000 in endowment funds.

"This incredible expression of generosity has led us to continue the campaign with an additional goal of $10 million before the new Sharp Memorial Hospital opens in summer 2008," said Littlejohn. "The success and the extension of the campaign will enable us to provide funds to bring additional clinical advances and capacity to the new hospital."

Construction of the new Sharp Memorial Hospital is approximately 90 percent complete and will be finished in the next three months. After a several month period of inspection, equipping, licensing and patient transfer planning, the new hospital will open in the summer of 2008.

The community contributed 20 percent toward the campaign for the construction of the new Sharp Memorial Hospital. The cost to construct the entire new Sharp Memorial Hospital and equip and occupy the first six floors is approximately $
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