News Details

HCA Reports Very Little Hurricane Rita Impact

September 24, 2005

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