LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 14, 1998) Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) today announced the election of Douglas Crocker II to the Company's Board of Directors. Crocker's election fills a vacant seat on the Board and brings the number of directors to seven.

Crocker is President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Trustees of Equity Residential Properties Trust (NYSE: EQR), one of the nation's largest publicly traded multifamily real estate investment trusts. Equity Residential Properties Trust owns and operates a portfolio of 568 multifamily properties in 35 states.

W. Bruce Lunsford, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ventas, remarked, "Doug Crocker brings over 30 years of real estate experience to our Board. His extensive background and considerable success in that industry position him to give us valuable guidance in directing Ventas's future progress. We are very pleased with his election and look forward to his contributions as a director."

Crocker holds a B.A. from Harvard University. He serves as secretary of the Executive Committee of the National Multi-Housing Council, the assistant chairman of the Multifamily Council of the Urban Land Institute, a member of the National Apartment Association, a member of the board of directors for the Multifamily Housing Institute, vice chairman of the National Realty Committee and a member of the board of governors for the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts.

Ventas, Inc. is a real estate company which owns 218 nursing centers and 46 hospitals in 36 states.