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EPA and Long Beach Redevelopment Agency award nearly $800,000 to Miller Children’s Hospital for $151 million expansion; EPA, City and Hospital officials tour site slated for revitalization

Release Date: 12/14/2006
Contact Information: Contact: Margot Perez-Sullivan, (415) 947-4149

(12/14/06 -- LOS ANGELES) U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Wayne Nastri and Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster presented two grants, totaling $788,000 in funds to Miller Children’s Hospital today during a tour of hospital property that is slated for cleanup, revitalization and redevelopment in Long Beach, Calif.

The $600,000 Brownfields grant will help Miller Children’s Hospital clean up petroleum-related contamination on the site of the new children’s hospital pavilion. Upon completion in 2009, the empty lot will house a four-level building, which will include seven operating rooms, a pediatric imaging center, 48 neonatal intensive care beds and 24 general pediatrics beds.

The Long Beach Redevelopment Agency contributed $188,000 in grant funds to support the expansion. The hospital, located in a Long Beach Redevelopment Project Area, has benefited from ongoing Redevelopment Agency revitalization projects over the years.

“This funding will help expand this facility and establish a state-of-the art medical unit,” said Nastri. “Meeting the growing needs of our communities is an integral aspect of the Brownfields Program. With this grant, the hospital, the EPA and the city of Long Beach are making good on their commitment to sustainable development, public health and the environment.”

“Along with funding, EPA is also providing invaluable technical assistance enabling us to safely clean this site,” said Chief Administrative Officer, Dr. Melvin Marks, “Receiving this funding enables the hospital to serve the community’s growing need for pediatric services.”

“I’m thrilled to be able to present these funds on behalf of the City’s Redevelopment Agency Board,” said Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, a former member of the Miller Children’s Hospital Advisory Board. “The EPA and our Redevelopment Agency have helped ensure that the Miller Children’s Hospital family continues to provide exceptional health care to our children and continue to expand this world-class institution.”

The agency’s Brownfields Program has linked EPA with nonprofit organizations, like Miller Children’s Hospital, helping to address environmental issues associated with vacant or under-utilized properties and meet the needs of the communities they serve. In the Pacific Southwest, the Brownfields Program has awarded $61 million in grants allowing recipients to leverage $985 million for cleanup, redevelopment and revitalization.

For more information of the Brownfields Program, go to: https://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/index.html

For more information on Miller Children’s Hospital, go to: http://www.memorialcare.org/miller/about.cfm