NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: JoAnn King, Director, Public Relations - 210-325-3294

Expansion Represents Big Commitment to the Littlest People in the Community

San Antonio, Texas – A crowd of children rushed through a banner to mark an upcoming “breakthrough in health care” at Methodist Children’s Hospital. A ceremony was held today to officially kick off an expansion project that will triple the size of the current pediatric emergency department. Just shy of its 10th anniversary, the original emergency facilities were expected to treat approximately 10,000 to 12,000 patients a year. Instead the emergency room handled 58,000 patient visits in 2007.

“Despite this high volume, our staff has maintained high patient and family satisfaction ratings. This is a true testament to the commitment our nurses, doctors, technicians and support staff to treating each child as if he or she were their very own,” said Mark McLoone, CEO, Methodist Children’s Hospital.

Special guests at today’s event included the Methodist Children’s Hospital staff, physicians and their children. Activities for the children included painting panels from the construction fence, touring an American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance and games including a duck pond and hula hoop contests.

When completed in mid-2009, Methodist Children’s Hospital will be the largest pediatric emergency room in the city with 34 exam rooms and two fully equipped trauma rooms covering more than 30,000 square feet.

Today’s event marks the official construction kick off though planning has been underway for several months and crews have begun clearing the area for actual construction to begin. Despite the expansion, emergency services will not be interrupted.