HCA plans to sell Lawton hospital

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ HCA Inc., the nation's largest for-profit hospital operator, plans to sell Southwestern Medical Center in Lawton and nine other hospitals by the end of the year. <br/><br/>With

Tuesday, March 29th 2005, 10:02 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ HCA Inc., the nation's largest for-profit hospital operator, plans to sell Southwestern Medical Center in Lawton and nine other hospitals by the end of the year.

With 212 beds, Southwestern Medical Center is the fourth-largest of the hospitals to be sold. The company also operates hospitals in Oklahoma City and Edmond, and has surgical centers and other medical facilities across the state.

Chairman Jack O. Bovender Jr. said Monday the sale will allow HCA to focus on its hospitals in urban markets.

``Many of the facilities to be divested have been a part of HCA for several years and, although it was a difficult decision, we believe the divestitures are in the best long-term interests of the company, the affected hospitals and their local communities,'' he said.

In addition to the Lawton facility, the company plans to sell: Clinch Valley Medical Center in Richlands, Va.; Grandview Medical Center in Jasper and River Park in McMinnville, Tenn.; North Monroe Medical Center in Monroe, La.; and Capital Medical Center in Olympia, Wash.

It also plans to sell four hospitals in West Virginia: St. Joseph's in Parkersburg; Saint Francis in Charleston; Raleigh General in Beckley and Putnam General in Hurricane.