Evacuated Hospitals to Reopen Within Days
HCA (NYSE: HCA) today reported very little damage to its hospitals in
Houston and Louisiana as a result of Hurricane Rita.
The company had evacuated four hospitals in the Houston area in advance
of the storm: Mainland Medical Center in Texas City (226 beds), East
Houston Regional Medical Center in Houston (131 beds), Clear Lake
Regional Medical Center in Webster (482 beds) and Bayshore Medical
Center in Pasadena (373 beds).
None of the facilities received significant damage and all are expected
to be reopened within days. Most patients who were evacuated to other
HCA facilities in the region will remain where they are until
discharged, leaving capacity at the evacuated hospitals once they reopen.
HCA hospitals in New Iberia and Lafayette, Louisiana saw significant
rain and wind, but reported no damage and never closed during the storm.
"Our hospital teams in Houston and Louisiana, as well as our division
and corporate support staff did a superb job of preparing for this
dangerous storm," said Jack O. Bovender, Jr. Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of HCA. "The Houston hospitals that evacuated are now
well positioned to reopen quickly and have significant capacity
available to meet the city's needs."
All references to "company" and "HCA" as used throughout this document
refer to HCA Inc. and its affiliates.
"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,
Media - Jeff Prescott, +1-615-344-5708