UKIAH, Calif. – On Monday Sept. 30, Ukiah Valley Medical Center held a heartfelt groundbreaking ceremony to officially begin the campus expansion project for the new Emergency Room, Intensive Care Unit, Trauma Center and hospital support building.

Former Savings Bank of Mendocino County Vice President Marty Lombardi made a special appearance from his new home in Grass Valley, to be the Master of Ceremonies at the groundbreaking.

“I consider my position on the Governing Board and the Capital Campaign Committee to be a privilege and I am honored to be here tonight to share it with the community,” Lombardi said.

Lombardi thanked Adventist Health, represented by Terry Newmyer, President of the Northern California Network, comprised of five hospitals in Northern California.

Adventist Health’s commitment to the expansion project is $41 million. Lombardi recognized this sizable commitment to the Ukiah community.

“We are fortunate to have Adventist Health’s support as we move forward in these uncertain economic times,” he said.

Lombardi recognized the community’s commitment to the expansion project. “We are also here to honor those who have contributed to the capital campaign to raise $4 million towards this project. The employees and physicians at UVMC led the way with community leaders also making substantial gifts to bring the campaign total to $3.1 million.”

The event was held on the northeast corner of the medical center property at 275 Hospital Dr. in Ukiah, near the site of the first phase of the expansion – the hospital support building, or HSB.

“The HSB will house various departments including Materials Management and Administration and will allow us to prepare for our community’s new emergency department, intensive care unit and helipad,” said UVMC Chief Executive Officer Gwen Matthews.

Matthews shared testimonies and experiences of five survivors whose lives were forever changed and impacted by the high quality medical care they received in the current emergency department – which opened in 1978 to see 8,000 patients per year, when there were three hospitals in Ukiah.

Now the emergency department sees approximately 25,000 patients per year – a number that is projected to increase in coming years.

Lombardi closed by sharing that a gift of any kind no matter how substantial, would make a lasting impression on community members for generations to come.

To learn more about Ukiah Valley Medical Center’s campus expansion project, you can contact Allyne Brown, director of philanthropy, at 707-463-7623 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .