NAPLES, Fla.—Health Management Associates Inc. (NYSE: HMA) has been selected by the Southeast Volusia Hospital District Board of Commissioners to begin exclusive negotiations toward a lease agreement for the 112-bed Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

“Health Management deeply appreciates the confidence expressed by the Southeast Volusia Hospital District Board of Commissioners in selecting us to negotiate exclusively for the lease of Bert Fish Medical Center,” said Alan Levine, Senior Vice President and Florida Group President for Health Management Associates.

“This has been a very careful selection process by the board that demonstrates how much Bert Fish Medical Center means to its physicians, community, volunteers and Associates as well as the board members,” Levine said. “We respect the Commissioners for being so diligent on behalf of their neighbors and constituents.”

“We view a lease as a partnership with the community and its physicians as well as the Associates at the hospital,” Levine said. “We are particularly excited about working closely with the excellent physicians in Southeast Volusia County as well as the strong staff of Associates at the hospital.”

“Our mission at Health Management is to enable America’s best local health care, and we pledge to serve that mission at Bert Fish Medical Center,” Levine said.

Bert Fish Medical Center would join Health Management’s network in Florida, which currently includes 23 hospitals, and a statewide clinical affiliation with the University of Florida’s affiliated teaching hospital, Shands Hospital.

Health Management enables America's best local health care by providing the people, processes, capital and expertise necessary for its hospital and physician partners to fulfill their local missions of delivering superior health care services. Health Management, through its subsidiaries, operates 71 hospitals with approximately 11,000 licensed beds in non-urban communities located throughout the United States.

All references to “Health Management,” “HMA” or the “Company” used in this release refer to Health Management Associates, Inc. and its affiliates.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are identified by words such as “expects,” “estimates,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” ”pending,” “continues,” “should,” "could" and other similar words. All statements addressing operating performance, events or developments that Health Management Associates, Inc. expects or anticipates will occur in the future, including but not limited to projections of revenue, provisions for doubtful accounts, income or loss, capital expenditures, debt structure, principal payments on debt, capital structure, the amount and timing of funds under the meaningful use measurement standard of various Healthcare Information Technology incentive programs, other financial items and operating statistics, statements regarding our plans and objectives for future operations, the impact of changes in observation stays, our ability to achieve process efficiencies, factors we believe may have an impact on our deductibles and co-pays, acquisitions, acquisition financing, divestitures, joint ventures, market service development and other transactions, statements of future economic performance, statements regarding our legal proceedings and other loss contingencies (including, but not limited to, the timing and estimated costs of such matters), statements regarding market risk exposures, statements regarding the effects and/or interpretations of recently enacted or future health care laws and regulations, statements regarding the potential impact of health care exchanges, statements of the beliefs or assumptions underlying or relating to any of the foregoing statements, and statements that are other than statements of historical fact, are considered to be “forward-looking statements.”

Because they are forward-looking, such statements should be evaluated in light of important risk factors and uncertainties. These risk factors and uncertainties are more fully described in Health Management Associates, Inc.'s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including under the heading entitled “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of Health Management Associates, Inc.'s underlying beliefs or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could vary materially from those currently anticipated. In addition, undue reliance should not be placed on Health Management Associates, Inc.’s forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Health Management Associates, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update its risk factors or to publicly announce updates to the forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect new information, future events or other developments.