Silicon Valley Children's Hospital Foundation

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 5, 2002 - The Silicon Valley Children's Hospital Foundation has chosen Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford as its partner in establishing a pediatric hospital here in California's third largest city. The Silicon Valley Children's Hospital Foundation also considered applications from Valley Children's Hospital of Fresno and the Children's Hospital and Research Center at Oakland before choosing Packard Children's Hospital. Over the next 90 days, Packard Children's Hospital and the Silicon Valley Children's Hospital Foundation will begin crafting their business relationship and deciding how the proposed children's facility will be created, funded and operated. The pediatric facility will likely begin as a 50-bed unit within an existing adult hospital. That host partner has yet to be chosen. 'We are delighted about the opportunity to collaborate with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital,' said Chris Whitney, MD, a pediatrician and member of the Silicon Valley Children's Hospital Foundation's medical advisory council. 'We look forward to having a partner who shares our commitment to improving medical care for the children of Silicon Valley.' 'Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford is deeply committed to serving the children of Santa Clara County,'' said Christopher Dawes, chief executive of the 240-bed, Palo Alto-based institution. 'We look forward to working with the foundation in the future and applaud all that the group has achieved in bringing together the community and the medical profession in the best interests of children.' The children of Santa Clara County currently are cared for in nearly 30 hospitals. Better consolidation of pediatric care in a facility dedicated to children will improve the quality of medical services available to Silicon Valley's children. Corporate supporter Applied Materials, Inc. financed the effort's feasibility study and business plan. 'We wanted to help forge a community partnership that would find an innovative way to establish a Silicon Valley children's hospital within a relatively short time frame,' said Mike O'Farrell, Vice President, Global Community Affairs at Applied Materials. 'Applied Materials believes that the highly leveraged results from this creative solution will improve the regional infrastructure and quality of life for our employees, their families and all of our neighbors.' About Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Located on the campus of Stanford University, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital is dedicated to the care of children and expectant mothers throughout Northern California. For certain specialty services, such as liver and kidney transplants and cardiovascular surgery, patients come to Packard Children's Hospital from throughout the country and around the world. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital has its roots in the Stanford Home for Convalescent Children, which opened in 1919. The current hospital, built in a circular fashion around a central garden, began with a $40 million gift from David and Lucile Packard and opened its doors in 1991. The hospital's mission is to bring the best possible care to the region regardless of a patient's ability to pay. To that end, Packard Children's Hospital has established six Centers of Excellence to create nationally renowned clinical programs in areas essential to children's health. About the Silicon Valley Children's Hospital Foundation Silicon Valley Children's Hospital Foundation was created in the fall of 1999 by physicians, business leaders and parents with the objective of making available quality health care to all children of Silicon Valley. We envision a local, easily accessible hospital dedicated to providing for the healthcare needs of all children and meeting the support needs of their families. Each child will be cared for by pediatric trained staff from the beginning of their diagnosis through the effective completion of their healthcare treatments.