Osceola Regional Medical Center contracts to purchase Poinciana site

April 17, 2006

Osceola Regional Medical Center has contracted to purchase 40 acres in Poinciana from Avatar Properties Inc. for the planned development of a Class I general hospital with up to 120 acute care beds.

It will be the first hospital in the 47,000-acre master-planned community of some 57,000 residents in northwest Osceola and northeast Polk counties.

Osceola Regional has filed a Certificate of Need (CON) with the State of Florida and hopes to have approval this summer so it can begin site development and construction.  The hospital could be in place and operational as early as 2008.

“This is a very significant milestone for Poinciana, and will help address the need for quality hospital healthcare services right here in our community,” said Tony Iorio, Avatar vice president of land development and Poinciana project manager.

“Osceola Regional Medical Center has distinguished itself as one of the best healthcare providers in the state, and we are very fortunate to have its commitment to be a part of our growing community,” Iorio said.

The 40-acre site, located on Marigold Avenue just north of Cypress Parkway, is part of a planned major mixed-use development that Iorio said will include what is known as Solivita Marketplace, currently in the early stages of development.

“We are excited about being a part of the Poinciana community.  The current and future population of Poinciana and the access to available health care have convinced us of the need for a hospital there,” said Tim Cook, CEO for Osceola Regional Medical Center, an accredited, 235-bed hospital offering state-of-the-art medical technology and healthcare services in nearby Kissimmee.

Osceola Regional Medical Center provides over 70 healthcare services and is the only hospital in Osceola County to provide Level II neonatal services and an open heart program.

The hospital’s parent company is Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA, the nation’s leading provider of healthcare services, composed of locally managed facilities that include 182 hospitals and 84 outpatient surgery centers in 22 states.  HCA and its affiliates employ approximately 190,000 people.

Avatar Properties Inc. is the developer and primary homebuilder in Poinciana which has been ranked the second Best-Selling Master-Planned Community in the United States the past two years.

Poinciana also has the distinction of being named one of America’s 100 Nicest Places to Live by Relocate.America.com following a 5-year study of over 5,100 communities throughout the United States.

For more information about Avatar and Poinciana, contact Tony Iorio, vice president of land development and Poinciana project manager, at (407) 933-5000.

For more information about Osceola Regional Medical Center, contact Linda Gutermuth, director of business development, at (407) 518-3605.

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