Ville Platte Medical Center & Acadian Medical Center officially become Mercy Regional Medical Center

4/8/2010

VILLE PLATTE/EUNICE (April 8, 2010) • Two long-standing health care facilities - Ville Platte Medical Center and Acadian Medical Center - have joined forces to become one comprehensive medical center named Mercy Regional Medical Center. Alan Daugherty, CEO of Mercy Regional Medical Center, will officially unveil the new name of the combined medical center during ceremonies to be held today at 10:00 a.m. at the Ville Platte campus of Mercy Regional Medical Center.

The consolidation of the two hospitals into one comprehensive health system became effective on April 1, 2010. The new name was chosen in honor of the late Scott Mercy, founding CEO of LifePoint Hospitals®, the hospital company with which Mercy Regional Medical Center is affiliated.

Daugherty commented, "We are proud to introduce our new name and celebrate our exciting future together. Mercy Regional Medical Center's two campuses in Ville Platte and Eunice will continue to provide the same high quality healthcare services that our communities expect and deserve from us. By joining forces, we will be in an even stronger position to expand the services we provide and meet the healthcare needs of our communities now and into the future."

Mercy Regional Medical Center is a 109-bed acute care hospital with campuses in Eunice and Ville Platte, serving more than 97,000 patients annually with a medical staff of more than 200 physicians. Fully accredited by The Joint Commission, the two facilities provide a comprehensive array of inpatient, outpatient and emergency services including surgery, imaging, cardiology, obstetrics, physical therapy and rehab services. Mercy Regional is one of the area's largest employers with more than 540 employees and a payroll of more than $26 million. During 2009, the facilities invested more than $3.1 million in capital improvements and paid more than $1.9 million in local and state taxes.

The new name and logo for Mercy Regional Medical Center will be unveiled during ceremonies held in the main lobby of the Ville Platte campus with LifePoint representatives, community leaders, members of the medical center board, medical staff, employees, volunteers and the general public in attendance. Mercy Regional Medical Center's Eunice campus, which will keep the name Acadian Medical Center, will also introduce its new identity as "A Campus of Mercy Regional Medical Center."

"While our name has changed, our commitment to the delivery of high quality healthcare remains unchanged," said Butch Frazier, Chief Operating Officer of Mercy Regional Medical Center. "Our vision for the future as a unified medical center with two campuses is to provide an even broader and higher level of care to individuals and families."

All contact information for Mercy Regional Medical Center and Acadian Medical Center remains the same and callers will see no difference in access to either campus. The website for Mercy Regional is now www.mercyregionalmedicalcenter.com and for Acadian Medical Center, it remains www.acadianmedicalcenter.com.
 
Mercy Regional Medical Center and its Acadian Medical Center campus are part of LifePoint Hospitals®, a leading hospital company focused on providing quality healthcare services close to home. Through its subsidiaries, LifePoint operates 47 acute-care facilities in 17 states. With a mission of "Making Communities Healthier," LifePoint is the sole community hospital provider in 44 of the communities it serves. More information about the Company, which is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, can be found on its website LifePointHospitals.com. All references to "LifePoint," "LifePoint Hospitals," or the "Company" used in this release refer to LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. and its affiliates.