AstraZeneca Donates $1 Million for Christiana Care Health System's Wilmington Hospital Project

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May 21, 2010, 01:00 ET

WILMINGTON, Del., May 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) contributed $1 million to Wilmington Hospital today to support the expansion and renovation of the hospital that anchors the Christiana Care Health System.

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The donation will go toward a $210 million investment that will help the hospital continue its mission of building a healthy community for the city of Wilmington and surrounding region. The transformational project will dramatically increase the hospital's capacity and ultimately add nearly 600 jobs.

"We are strongly committed to working with partners whose mission and interests align with our commitment to strengthening and improving the health of patients," said Rich Fante, President AstraZeneca US & Regional VP North America. "Wilmington Hospital is an outstanding facility and a critical health resource in our community. AstraZeneca takes pride in helping it grow."

"For more than a century, Christiana Care and our Wilmington facility have built a tradition of caring for our neighbors when they are ill and helping them maintain their health when they are well," said Dr. Robert Laskowski, Christiana Care Health System President and CEO. "With this gift, Wilmington is set to become a modern, leading-edge hospital offering a full range of best-in-care preventive and wellness services. Together we can ensure Delawareans receive the highest level of care and comfort across the broad spectrum of diverse medical needs for decades to come."

Governor Jack Markell said, "This gift and the expansion of the hospital will bring jobs to the city while building on the hard work that's already being done at the hospital for its patients and the area. It represents an investment in the city and an investment in the health and welfare of its citizens."

"Our local leaders seized the chance to work together for accessible patient-focused care," said Senator Tom Carper. "The tens of thousands of people who rely on Wilmington Hospital for everything from emergency medicine to joint replacement will benefit greatly from their commitment to better care in a better place to be cared for."

"I commend AstraZeneca for this tremendous act of generosity for our community, and I applaud Christiana Care's commitment to provide the highest level of care for patients in Delaware," said Rep. Mike Castle. "The expansion of Wilmington Hospital will reduce waiting times in the emergency department, provide better access to primary care and improve health outcomes for thousands of patients."

The renovation marks the second largest project in the Christiana Care Health System's history and will create over 2,000 construction jobs. Serving as Christiana Care's anchor since 1888, the Wilmington Hospital Campus will grow by 337,000 square-feet, creating a one million square-foot, state-of-the-art medical center. When completed in 2012, the expansion will include:

An upgraded emergency department that will be twice its current size
A new surgical suite, including 13 operating rooms and four procedure rooms
Capacity for 120 private patient rooms
A new intensive care unit
An upgraded, 30 bed unit for the Center for Advanced Joint Replacement
A nine story, 286,000 square-foot tower
A 51,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art medical office building, allowing more physicians to practice on-site
A new main lobby entry repositioned on Jefferson Street with enclosed walkway to parking
A tranquil atrium and healing garden

The hospital expansion, which began in 2009, demonstrates Christiana Care's commitment to serving the residents of Wilmington and the surrounding area through a full range of wellness and health services to people of all ages, including women's health care services, surgery, orthopaedics, podiatry, ophthalmology, dentistry and oral surgery, pediatric medicine and general dentistry as well as diagnostic testing, an on-site pharmacy and patient education programs.

About Christiana Care

Christiana Care Health System, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware is one of the country's largest health care providers, ranking 17th in the nation for hospital admissions. With more than 10,000 employees, Christiana Care is the largest private employer in Delaware and the tenth largest employer in the Philadelphia region. Christiana Care is a major teaching hospital with two campuses and more than 280 medical/dental residents and students. In 2009, Christiana Care had more than $1.9 billion in total patient revenue and provided the community with $46.8 million of free care and medicine.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business with a primary focus on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines. As a leader in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation, oncology and infectious disease medicines, AstraZeneca generated global revenues of $32.8 billion in 2009. In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $14.8 billion healthcare business.

For more information about AstraZeneca in the US or our AZ&Me™ Prescription Savings programs, please visit: www.astrazeneca-us.com or call 1-800-AZandMe (292-6363).

SOURCE AstraZeneca