$5 Million Gift Supports Expansion at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas

San Diego – Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas has received a $5 million gift from a charitable Rancho Santa Fe family. The anonymous gift supports The Campaign for Scripps Encinitas, a multi-year capital campaign to raise funds for the expansion of the nonprofit hospital’s emergency and medical/surgical services. With this donation, more than $25 million has been raised to fund the expansion effort.

“Thanks to generous donors, Scripps can strengthen its mission through expanding facilities and servicing the growing health care needs of our communities,” said Carl Etter, Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas chief executive. “We are excited to pursue a state-of-the-art emergency department; and this gift helps put us within reach of our capital campaign goal.”

The largest expansion effort in several decades is under way at Scripps Encinitas to better serve North County residents. The project consists of a new two-story, 60,000-square-foot critical care building that will include a 27-station emergency department, more than twice the number of beds currently on the unit. A second floor will house 36 private acute care beds to increase inpatient capacity. An additional medical office building and acute care building will also be part of the campus build out over the next decade.

Recently, the hospital opened its new 884-stall parking garage to prepare for the increase in patients and families on the campus. Construction on the new emergency department is expected to start as early as 2012.

“Philanthropy is critical to the future of Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas,” said John Engle, chief development officer, Scripps Health Foundation. “We are grateful to this family for their leadership, and hope their generosity will continue to inspire others in the community to support our expansion effort.”

For more information about ways to support Scripps and The Campaign for Scripps Encinitas, please contact Scripps Health Foundation at 858-678-7482 or www.scrippshealthfoundation.org.

Learn more about Scripps Health, a nonprofit integrated health system in San Diego, Calif.