NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA), which operates 174 hospitals, 119 freestanding surgery centers, and numerous other outpatient centers in 20 states and the United Kingdom, today announced an agreement to acquire Highlands Regional Medical Center in Sebring, Florida, from subsidiaries of Community Health Systems, Inc. Upon completion of the transaction, Highlands Regional Medical Center, a 126-bed hospital 75 miles west of Fort Pierce, will be part of HCA’s East Florida Division.

“The expected addition of Highlands Regional to our East Florida network of hospitals will allow us to care for more people and complement our existing facilities in the region,” said Sam Hazen, president and chief operating officer of HCA. “We look forward to continuing Highlands Regional’s long-standing tradition of providing high-quality care.”

HCA East Florida is the largest healthcare system in eastern Florida and comprises 14 hospitals, multiple ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices, imaging centers and free standing emergency care facilities, as well as a supply chain center and an integrated regional lab. HCA East Florida employs more than 15,000 employees and has nearly 5,000 physicians on staff.

The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, is expected to close in the fall of 2017.

About HCA Healthcare

Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services, operating 174 locally managed hospitals and 119 freestanding surgery centers in 20 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44 percent. HCA is a learning healthcare system that uses its more than 27 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives. Please click here to connect with HCA on social media.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words like “may,” “believe,” “will,” “expect,” “project,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “initiative” or “continue.” These forward-looking statements are based on our current plans and expectations and are subject to a number of known and unknown uncertainties and risks, many of which are beyond our control, which could significantly affect current plans and expectations and our future financial position and results of operations. These factors include, but are not limited to, the ability to consummate and realize the benefits of the proposed acquisition as well as the risk factors described in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Many of the factors that will determine our future results are beyond our ability to control or predict. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements contained herein, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s views only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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