News Details

HCA Hospitals in Houston and Corpus Christi Prepare for Hurricane Rita Landfall

September 21, 2005

HCA (NYSE: HCA) today reported that three of the Company's hospitals in the Houston, Texas area are being evacuated and two are being partially evacuated in preparation for Hurricane Rita.

Mainland Medical Center in Texas City (226 beds), East Houston Regional Medical Center in Houston (131 beds) and Clear Lake Regional Medical Center in Webster (482 beds) are currently undergoing a complete evacuation of patients and staff. These three hospitals will be closed with only a skeleton crew of plant operations and security staff on the premises during the storm.

Bayshore Medical Center in Pasadena (373 beds) is evacuating its critically ill patients and Corpus Christi Medical Center in Corpus Christi (583 beds) is evacuating critically ill babies. However both of these facilities currently plan to remain operational with their emergency departments accepting patients as needed.

Patients from all five hospitals are being moved to the following HCA hospitals in the Houston area:

- Conroe Regional Medical Center, Conroe

- Kingwood Medical Center, Kingwood

- Spring Branch Medical Center, Houston

- West Houston Medical Center, Houston

- Woman's Hospital of Texas, Houston

"Hurricane Rita is a dangerous storm and we are taking our preparations very seriously," said Jack O. Bovender, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HCA. "Our hospitals are well prepared and we believe the lessons we have learned from Katrina and the 2004 hurricanes in Florida will allow us quickly to reopen to serve the impacted communities."

The Company is positioning extra supplies such as food, water, portable generators, diesel fuel, plywood and linens in the area for use by hospitals as needed. Also, additional clinical staff, and repair and clean-up crews are on standby prepared to quickly move in once the storm passes. The hospitals will resume full operations as soon as possible once any damage that limits their capabilities has been repaired.

The combined revenue from the hospitals being fully evacuated was approximately $492 million in 2004. The combined revenue from the facilities being partially evacuated was approximately $404 million in 2004.

All references to "HCA" and the "Company" contained in this press release refer to HCA and its affiliates. The term "facilities" refers to entities owned or operated by subsidiaries or affiliates of HCA. This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current management expectations. Those forward-looking statements include all statements other than those made solely with respect to historical fact. Numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Many of the factors that will determine the Company's future results are beyond the ability of the Company 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. The Company undertakes 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.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding HCA's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.

INVESTORS, Mark Kimbrough, +1-615-344-2688,
or MEDIA, Jeff Prescott, +1-615-344-5708,
both of HCA