GREENBRAE, CA — The Board of Directors of the Marin Healthcare District (MHD) has voted to place a $394,000,000 General Obligation Bond measure on the November 5, 2013 ballot.

The funds from the bonds will cover part of the cost to rebuild and modernize Marin General Hospital, including the Emergency Room, Intensive Care, Critical Care Units, and patient and nursing areas. It will also provide the latest lifesaving medical technologies for treating trauma, heart disease, stroke, cancer and other diseases, reduce ER wait times and ensure compliance with seismic safety standards designed to keep Marin General Hospital open in the event of earthquakes.

“More than 60 years ago, Marin voters passed a G.O. Bond which paid for the construction of Marin General Hospital. It is now time to build a new Marin General Hospital and this generation of Marinites will be asked to support a bond measure so that we can continue to have a full service acute care hospital in our community,” says Jennifer Rienks, Chair of the Marin Healthcare District Board of Directors.

“We believe that making the hospital seismically safe and insuring that life-saving, up-to-date medical technology is available to citizens—especially in the event of a natural disaster such as an earthquake—is a critical part of our mission,” says Lee Domanico, CEO of Marin General Hospital. “In the event of a major earthquake, which experts believe is more than a 60% probability in the next 25-30 years, our county could be cut off from surrounding areas. Treating the victims of the disaster, as well as handling day-to-day medical emergencies while roads are restored is of prime importance, and these funds will help make that possible, while also insuring that our hospital is designed to meet new standards of care for the next 60 years.”

“Rebuilding the hospital is essential if we are to be able to continue to attract and retain high quality physicians to Marin County,” says Dr. Joel Sklar, Chief Medical Officer, Marin General Hospital.

“The hospital is showing its age,” says Helen Principe, RN, at MGH. “Without a doubt it’s the best it can be within the confines of the existing structure, but as nurses we encounter its limitations daily. Whether it’s the ability to fit needed equipment into a patient room or simply insure patient privacy as required, the current hospital presents many challenges that a new hospital will address.”

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