Since January 2008, the Cottage Health System’s Building Well, Being Well campaign has been fundraising with a goal of $14 million for the development of the new Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital. In August, they surpassed their goal; campaign leaders announced a grand total of $14.3 million donated.

The new hospital, scheduled to open in 2014, will cost $123 million to complete. The money generated through campaign effort will go toward the rebuilding expense; the remaining sum needed for the hospital overhaul is being paid for through hospital operations and tax-exempt bonds.

Features include a seismic upgrade to be able to withstand earthquakes and continue care through a crisis, as well as expanding the structure to accommodate new medical technology. According to a hospital press release, “The new hospital will be a two-story facility, which will have a total of 152,000 square feet. Improvements will include more than doubling the size of the Emergency department and also expanding the Surgical Services department.”

Approximately 1,100 donors contributed to the fundraising campaign, more than half of them first-time donors. Cottage Health Systems Director of Public Affairs Janet O’Neill said the Building Well, Being Well campaign is the most successful one in the hospital’s history.

Philanthropist Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree’s $5 million donation will enhance the hospital’s Center for Wound Management. The hospital’s new lobby will be named for late longtime donors George and Dale Cavalletto in honor of a $2 million donation gifted by the Cavalletto Charities.

After the hospital’s opening, ongoing fundraising programs will be in place to help develop other projects on the horizon, such as a healing arts program and a restorative garden.

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