Exhibit 99.1

                          [Letterhead of Ventas, Inc.]

        VENTAS FILES $750 MILLION UNIVERSAL SHELF REGISTRATION STATEMENT

         Louisville, KY, June 19, 2002 - Ventas, Inc. (NYSE: VTR) (with its
subsidiaries, "Ventas" or the "Company"), said today that the Company has filed
a universal shelf registration statement with the Securities and Exchange
Commission relating to $750 million of common stock, preferred stock, debt
securities, depositary shares and warrants. Upon the effectiveness of the
registration statement, Ventas may publicly offer these securities from time to
time at prices and on terms to be determined at the time of an offering. Ventas
also said that the particular terms of any offering would be specified in the
prospectus supplement relating to any such offering.

         The Company said that it believes that this shelf registration
statement will assist in providing it with flexibility in raising debt and/or
equity in order to implement its diversification strategy.

         The registration statement relating to these securities has been filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but has not yet become effective.
These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the
time the registration statement becomes effective. This news release shall not
constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall
there be any sale of such securities in any state in which such offer,
solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification
under the securities laws of any such state.

         Ventas, Inc. is a healthcare real estate investment trust whose
properties include 44 hospitals, 215 nursing facilities and eight personal care
facilities in 36 states. More information about Ventas can be found at its
website at www.ventasreit.com.



This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"),
and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
"Exchange Act"). All statements regarding Ventas, Inc.'s ("Ventas" or the
"Company") and its subsidiaries' expected future financial position, results of
operations, cash flows, funds from operations, dividends and dividend plans,
financing plans, business strategy, budgets, projected costs, capital
expenditures, competitive positions, growth opportunities, expected lease
income, continued qualification as a real estate investment trust ("REIT"),
plans and objectives of management for future operations and statements that
include words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate,"
"expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will" and other similar
expressions are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are
inherently uncertain, and stockholders must recognize that actual results may
differ from the Company's expectations. The Company does not undertake a duty to
update such forward-looking statements.

Actual future results and trends for the Company may differ materially depending
on a variety of factors discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"). Factors that may affect the plans or
results of the Company include, without limitation, (a) the ability and
willingness of Kindred Healthcare, Inc. ("Kindred") and certain of its
affiliates to continue to meet and/or honor their obligations under their
contractual arrangements with the Company and the Company's subsidiaries,
including without limitation the lease agreements and various agreements (the
"Spin Agreements") entered into by the Company and Kindred at the time of the
Company's spin-off of Kindred on May 1, 1998 (the "1998 Spin Off"), as such
agreements may have been amended and restated in connection with Kindred's
emergence from bankruptcy on April 20, 2001, (b) the ability and willingness of
Kindred to continue to meet and/or honor its obligation to indemnify and defend
the Company for all litigation and other claims relating to the healthcare
operations and other assets and liabilities transferred to Kindred in the 1998
Spin Off, (c) the ability of Kindred and the Company's other operators to
maintain the financial strength and liquidity necessary to satisfy their
respective obligations and duties under the leases and other agreements with the
Company, and their existing credit agreements, (d) the Company's success in
implementing its business strategy, (e) the nature and extent of future
competition, (f) the extent of future healthcare reform and regulation,
including cost containment measures and changes in reimbursement policies and
procedures, (g) increases in the cost of borrowing for the Company, (h) the
ability of the Company's operators to deliver high quality care and to attract
patients, (i) the results of litigation affecting the Company, (j) changes in
general economic conditions and/or economic conditions in the markets in which
the Company may, from time to time, compete, (k) the ability of the Company to
pay down, refinance, restructure, and/or extend its indebtedness as it becomes
due, (l) the movement of interest rates and the resulting impact on the value of
the Company's interest rate swap agreements and the ability of the Company to
satisfy its obligation to post cash collateral if required to do so under one of
these interest rate swap agreements, (m) the ability and willingness of Atria,
Inc. ("Atria") to continue to meet and honor its contractual arrangements with
the Company and Ventas Realty, Limited Partnership entered into in connection
with the Company's spin-off of its assisted living operations and related assets
and liabilities to Atria in August 1996, (n) the ability and willingness of the
Company to maintain its qualification as a REIT due to economic, market, legal,
tax or other considerations, including without limitation, the risk that the
Company may fail to qualify as a REIT due to its ownership of common stock in
Kindred, (o) the outcome of the audit being conducted by the Internal Revenue
Service for the Company's tax years ended December 31, 1997 and 1998, (p) final
determination of the Company's taxable net income for the year ended December
31, 2001, (q) the ability and willingness of the Company's tenants to renew
their leases with the Company upon expiration of the leases and the Company's
ability to relet its properties on the same or better terms in the event such
leases expire and are not renewed by the existing tenants and (r) the value of
the Company's common stock in Kindred and the limitations on the ability of the
Company to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of its common stock in Kindred
arising out of the securities laws and the registration rights agreement the
Company entered into with Kindred and certain of the holders of the common stock
in Kindred. Many of such factors are beyond the control of the Company and its
management.