Florida Voices for Health pushes for stronger rural healthcare access

Jason Futch [email protected] In 2020, Shands Lake Shore Regional Medical Center in Lake City ceased operations. The closure was attributed to unsustainable financial losses and declining patient volume, leading to an agreement between its operator, Community Health Systems, and the Lake Shore Hospital Authority to close the facility. In the same year, Shands Live Oak Regional Medical Center and Shands Starke Regional Medical Center also closed their doors to inpatient, non-emergency care after years of offering affordable medical services to the people of North Florida, converting their services to emergency-only. It came just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to ravage th