Orlando Health to take full control of South Lake Hospital
After more than two decades of joint partnership, Orlando Health is taking full control of South Lake Hospital in Clermont, the health system announced on Monday.
Orlando Health is investing $128 million in a new foundation that will help fund health-care services in south Lake County. The health system has also committed more than $99 million over five years for capital improvements throughout Lake County.
“This agreement represents a defining moment in south Lake County healthcare,” said John Moore, president of South Lake Hospital, in a news release. “It allows us to strategically plan for the future with one of the top healthcare organizations in the region, while maintaining the culture of South Lake Hospital.”
South Lake Hospital — known as South Lake Memorial Hospital in its early days — was established in 1941 as a 10-bed clinic.
Today, the hospital has 170 beds. With 1,600 employees, South Lake Hospital is the third-largest employer in the county. The hospital said it had a $229 million financial impact in the community in 2015.
Orlando Health and South Lake Hospital created a joint partnership in 1995, in which Orlando Health took over the dayto-day operations of the hospital and 50 percent board representation.
“This agreement is the final phase of that very successful relationship,” said Paul Rountree, who served as chairman of the South Lake Memorial Hospital board of directors when the 1995 agreement was consummated, in a news release.