Health Management Associates, Inc. Executes Definitive Agreement To Acquire Cleveland Clinic Foundation - Naples Hospital, Naples, Florida

NAPLES, Fla., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Health Management Associates, Inc. announced today that it has executed a definitive agreement to acquire the 83-bed Cleveland Clinic - Naples Hospital located in Naples, Florida, from the Cleveland Clinic based in Cleveland, Ohio. Following the sale, the Cleveland Clinic and HMA plan for the Naples hospital to continue its clinical affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic. The transaction is expected to be completed during the quarter ending June 30, 2006.

"We are pleased about the opportunity to acquire the Cleveland Clinic - Naples Hospital, and to continue the Cleveland Clinic's tradition of delivering high quality health care to the growing needs of Naples and the greater Collier County community," said Joseph V. Vumbacco, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of HMA. "The Cleveland Clinic is recognized internationally for its pioneering patient care and research, and has consistently been ranked among the nation's best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. We have developed an excellent working relationship with the leadership of the Cleveland Clinic, and we expect to develop a long-term clinical affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic Health System with a shared mission of providing comprehensive high quality health care to the residents of the communities we serve."

Cleveland Clinic - Naples Hospital is a fully accredited, general acute-care hospital operating 83 licensed beds. The hospital serves a rapidly growing population base of approximately 300,000 residents, which does not take into account seasonal population increases experienced during the winter months.

"We believe this acquisition will complement our de novo project, the 100- bed Collier Regional Medical Center, currently under construction in southern Collier County, thereby providing more effective competition in Collier County," added Vumbacco. "Upon completing the transaction, the existing Cleveland Clinic - Naples Hospital medical staff will soon be able to serve the community at two Collier County hospitals, effectively improving access to more of the area's residents."

HMA has completed two acquisitions thus far in fiscal year 2006, and negotiated previously announced definitive agreements to add two hospitals by March 31, 2006. HMA expects to acquire Cleveland Clinic - Naples Hospital by June 30, 2006, and it believes that fiscal year 2006 will be an active year of quality acquisitions.

HMA is a premier operator of non-urban general acute care hospitals in communities situated throughout the United States. HMA has generated 17 years of uninterrupted operating earnings growth. Upon completion of the transaction to acquire the 83-bed Cleveland Clinic - Naples Hospital and the previously announced transactions to acquire the 231-bed St. Joseph Hospital and a controlling interest in the 84-bed Orlando Regional St. Cloud Hospital, HMA will operate 62 hospitals in 16 states with approximately 8,995 licensed beds.

All references to "HMA" used in this release refer to Health Management Associates, Inc. or its affiliates.

Certain statements contained in this release, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "expects," and words of similar import, constitute "forward- looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may include projections of revenues, income or loss, capital expenditures, capital structure, or other financial items, statements regarding the plans and objectives of management for future operations, statements of future economic performance, statements of the assumptions underlying or relating to any of the foregoing statements, and other statements which are other than statements of historical fact.

Statements made throughout this release are based on current estimates of future events, and HMA has no obligation to update or correct these estimates. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially as a result of these various factors.

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CONTACT: John C. Merriwether, Vice President of Financial Relations ofHealth Management Associates, Inc., +1-239-598-3104

Web site: http://www.hma-corp.com/