History

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Our History

Brooksville Regional Hospital was founded in 1926 as Hernando General Hospital.

The beginnings of the hospital were small, like the rural county it served. A home in Brooksville was converted into a ten-bed hospital, with an operating room, anesthetizing room, nurses’ quarters and a kitchen. By the end of the first year, 114 patients were treated at Hernando General Hospital. During the decade that followed, the facility moved several times and expanded to include a children’s ward, an x-ray department and fourteen patient rooms.

As the county grew to 7,057 residents, the hospital’s board decided to build a 24-bed facility at a cost of $40,000. On October 1, 1936, the hospital’s doors opened. In 1943, another expansion occurred to include an operating room, a delivery room, emergency room and a nursery, giving the county a 32-bed hospital. By 1967, a decision was made to change the name of the hospital to Lykes Memorial Hospital.

In 1968, voters approved a $300,000 bond issue, which coupled with money from the state, allowed a $1.1 million dollar facility to be built on Ponce De Leon. In the early 1980’s additional room was again needed and trustees decided to expand the facility to 166-beds.

Lykes Memorial Hospital operated under the supervision of the Hernando County Commission, until December 31, 1983.

Converted to a not-for-profit organization on January 1, 1984, the hospital obtained independence from Hernando County, with certain limitations as provided in a lease arrangement between the county and the hospital.

To meet the needs of the growing Spring Hill population, Lykes Health Systems opened Spring Hill Regional Hospital in October 1991 and changed its name to Regional Healthcare, Inc. (RHI).  In 1998, Health Management Associates (HMA) entered into a purchase with RHI and a long-term lease with Hernando County.

In 1999, Brooksville and Spring Hill Regional Hospitals were combined, which allows them to function as one hospital – called Hernando HealthCare – which is comprised of 244 beds on two campuses.

In 2001, HMA made a promise to build a new, 21st Century Brooksville Regional Hospital. After presenting the proposal to the people and the county commission, the Hernando County Commission voted for the new hospital – unanimously. The state gave final approval of the project and Hernando County’s new, high-tech hospital in Brooksville opened in October 2005 surrounded by 130 acres which can be used for future growth.

In 2003, Spring Hill Regional completed a major 10,000-square-foot OB expansion, which increased the number of private Special Delivery Suites from eight to 14, and added the area’s only Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery (NICU).

Decades ago, a heritage of healing was started in Hernando County. At Brooksville and Spring Hill Regional Hospitals, we are proud to continue our dedication to caring for the health of all our residents, as part of the Health Management Associates team.