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Community Health Systems Closes Acquisition of Via Christi Oklahoma Regional Medical Center; Facility Renamed Ponca City Medical Center

Posted on: Monday, 1 May 2006, 18:00 CDT

Community Health Systems, Inc. (NYSE:CYH) announced today the closing of the acquisition of Via Christi Oklahoma Regional Medical Center from the Via Christi Health System, a Catholic healthcare system headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. The 148-bed facility is the sole provider of acute care hospital services in Ponca City, Oklahoma, which is located approximately 90 miles northwest of Tulsa and 100 miles north of Oklahoma City. The facility will be owned by a subsidiary of the Company and operated under the name "Ponca City Medical Center."

"We are excited to welcome the medical community of Ponca City to our company and to bring our management expertise to our first hospital in Oklahoma. The patients, employees and medical staff will soon see the benefits of our growth and operational strategies, and we look forward to the opportunities this transaction presents for all of us," said Wayne T. Smith, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Community Health Systems, Inc. "The Company continues to be the acquirer of choice for sellers of non-urban hospitals as we consistently demonstrate our proven strategies to expand services and provide more healthcare closer to home."

Located in the Nashville, Tennessee, suburb of Brentwood, Community Health Systems is a leading operator of general acute care hospitals in non-urban communities throughout the country. Through its subsidiaries, the Company currently owns, leases or operates 74 hospitals in 22 states. Its hospitals offer a broad range of inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical services. Shares in Community Health Systems, Inc. are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CYH."

Statements contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual future events or results may differ materially from these statements. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Community Health Systems, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the most recent filings which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including execution of our growth, acquisition, and business strategies. These and other applicable risks are summarized under the caption "risk factors" in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Source: Business Wire

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