Lehigh Regional Medical Center is the only hospital in Lehigh and in the new year, it’ll have a new owner.
If you live in Lehigh and have a medical emergency, most likely it is the closest hospital to you.
However, locals like Joan Schaller said when she and her friends are in an emergency, they’d rather drive 45 minutes to a different hospital.
“It’s expensive. If you have to take Uber or if you’re older and you have to try to find somebody to take you, and it’s very difficult,” Schaller said.
Watch Lehigh Acres Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades report below:
HCA Health buys Lehigh hospital as they expand across SWFL
Why are people driving further for different hospitals?
Joan Schaller said they want better care.
Dorothy Belanger said she knows this from a first hand experience.
“I’ve been admitted there couple times. Last time I was there, I walked out because nobody was taking care of me,” Belanger said.
Like Schaller, Belanger said she drives to Lee Health instead.
“It’s really a shame, the hospital sits there, and nobody goes in there, because they all know they’re not gonna be taken care of,” Belanger said.