NewsLocal NewsIn Your NeighborhoodLehigh Acres

Actions

HCA Health buys Lehigh hospital as they expand across SWFL

Posted

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — Lehigh Regional Medical Center is the only hospital in Lehigh and in the new year, it'll have a new owner.

If you live in Lehigh and have a medical emergency, most likely it is the closest hospital to you.

However, locals like Joan Schaller said when she and her friends are in an emergency, they'd rather drive 45 minutes to a different hospital.

"It's expensive. If you have to take Uber or if you're older and you have to try to find somebody to take you, and it's very difficult," Schaller said.

Watch Lehigh Acres Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades report below:

HCA Health buys Lehigh hospital as they expand across SWFL

Why are people driving further for different hospitals?

Joan Schaller said they want better care.

Dorothy Belanger said she knows this from a first hand experience.

"I've been admitted there couple times. Last time I was there, I walked out because nobody was taking care of me," Belanger said.

Like Schaller, Belanger said she drives to Lee Health instead.

"It's really a shame, the hospital sits there, and nobody goes in there, because they all know they're not gonna be taken care of," Belanger said.

Florida Commerce said Prime Healthcare Services, who currently owns Lehigh Regional Medical Center, sent out the letter below in October.

prime healthcare letter
Lehigh Regional Medical Center sent out this letter in October about HCA purchasing the hospital.

It says Prime will sell the center to HCA and the sale will close January 18, a few weeks away.

In the statement below Lehigh Regional Medical Center said:

"This partnership will benefit new and existing patients, as Lehigh Regional becomes part of the organization’s statewide HCA Florida Healthcare network to serve more patients and expand access to care while preserving and building on Lehigh’s legacy of quality, compassionate care."
Lehigh Regional Medical Center

With the sale, the hospital said all their employees at Lehigh Regional Medical Center will be laid off— 294 people.

HCA said they plan to offer all current employees in good standing at Lehigh Regional Medical Center an opportunity to stay at the hospital.

So, who is HCA?

They own 186 hospital across the country and already have a few clinics in Southwest Florida including Cape Coral.

Also, they're planning to build a 100 bed hospital on Colonial Boulevard.

In a statement to FOX 4, HCA said,

"We believe the addition of the hospital to our existing network of care will enhance our ability to serve communities throughout lee county."
HCA Health

For potential patients like Schaller, she said she'd like to see modern updates when HCA takes over the hospital.

"A top notch hospital in Lehigh would be fabulous," Schaller said.