Health Care REIT, Inc. Declares Fourth Quarter Dividend

Health Care REIT, Inc. (NYSE:HCN) announced today that its Board of Directors declared a cash dividend for the quarter ended December 31, 2009 of $0.68 per share. The dividend will be the company's 155^th consecutive quarterly payment, payable February 19, 2010, to stockholders of record on February 8, 2010.

Health Care REIT, Inc., an S&P 500 company with headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, is a real estate investment trust that invests across the full spectrum of senior housing and health care real estate. The company also provides an extensive array of property management and development services. As of December 31, 2009, the company’s broadly diversified portfolio consisted of 596 properties in 39 states. More information is available on the company’s website at www.hcreit.com.