St. Luke’s Hospital Will Soon Be AdventHealth Polk

August 19, 2024 — St. Luke’s Hospital Will Soon Be AdventHealth Polk

AdventHealth plans to assume management of the hospital and its related facilities later this year.

Altamonte Springs, Fla., Aug. 19, 2024 – AdventHealth, one of the nation’s largest faith-based health systems, recently signed a definitive agreement to assume management of St. Luke's Hospital in Columbus, North Carolina. St. Luke's is a top-rated, community-owned critical access hospital serving the Western Carolinas. The agreement also includes several physician and ambulatory care clinics. AdventHealth will rename the hospital AdventHealth Polk to reflect its national network and brand.

"We are excited about the opportunity to offer our unique promise of whole-person care to this community and look forward to working with and caring for the team members, physicians, patients and residents of Polk County and the surrounding area," said Terry Shaw, president/CEO for AdventHealth.

In June, the Polk County Board of Commissioners approved the changes necessary to St. Luke's current lease agreement to make this transition possible. Once the transition takes place, AdventHealth Polk will join AdventHealth Hendersonville, located in neighboring Henderson County, in providing care to Western North Carolina.

“AdventHealth and our team in Hendersonville are looking forward to having the exceptional St. Luke’s team as partners in caring for the people of Western North Carolina. Our hospitals share a legacy of providing high-quality, faith-based care that focuses on the whole-person – body, mind and spirit,” said Brandon Nudd, president/CEO for AdventHealth Hendersonville.

The transition to AdventHealth Polk should be complete in October, pending government and regulatory approvals. Until then, current management will remain in place. AdventHealth is committed to ensuring a smooth transition for all team members, physicians, and consumers, maintaining the high standards of care for which St. Luke's Hospital is known.

"St. Luke's has been the community's leader in health care services for nearly a century and a model for critical access hospitals in the Southeast. We look forward to being part of AdventHealth's national care network and continuing to deliver high-quality health care in a consumer-centric manner as AdventHealth Polk," said Bill Miller, St. Luke's Hospital Board Member and Chair.

About St. Luke's Hospital

St. Luke's Hospital in Columbus, NC, has been committed to high-quality care and service excellence for nearly a century. Today, our organization provides a safe and compassionate environment for everyone we serve. St. Luke's Hospital is a critical access, inpatient, and outpatient hospital system with several ambulatory care clinics. Most importantly, more than 300 teammates in our hospital, physician practices, and outpatient clinics support our healthcare network to improve the health of the communities located in the Carolina Foothills region. Our health system is here to serve through our community education and screenings, primary physician care in our clinics, world-class surgical care, and life-saving emergency care. Our commitment to expanding resources, skills, and services is building on a legacy of continuous improvement. At St. Luke's, we work harder every day, not because we want a better hospital but because we want a healthier community.

About AdventHealth

With a sacred mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth is a connected system of care for every stage of life and health. More than 95,000 team members across hundreds of care sites, including physician practices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, home health agencies, and hospice centers, provide individualized, wholistic care. A shared vision, common values, focus on whole-person health, and commitment to making communities healthier unify the system's more than 50 hospital campuses in diverse markets throughout nine states.