— WAUCHULA, Fla. -- More than 200 community members, along with local and state leaders, joined the AdventHealth Wauchula team for a community celebration as they marked 30 years of serving the health care needs of the City of Wauchula and Hardee County.
AdventHealth Wauchula hosted an afternoon of fun, food and activities for all ages at the hospital on Sunday, November 17.
“We are thrilled to celebrate this amazing milestone with our community who we care very deeply about,” Christen Johnson, Vice President and Administrator of AdventHealth Wauchula, said. “We have been blessed to be part of this community for 30 years and we plan to continue to invest in it and offer the exceptional, whole-person care we provide for many years to come.”
The History Behind AdventHealth Wauchula
Before what is known as AdventHealth Wauchula came to be, Hardee Memorial Hospital broke ground in 1968 and was completed in 1970. However, the hospital fell on hard times and became Crest Medical Center which ultimately closed leaving Hardee County without access to health care.
Seeing a great need for quality health care in Hardee County, The Adventist Health System purchased the facility in the early 90s and reopened it in 1994. It was known as Walker Memorial Hospital Wauchula and became Florida Hospital Wauchula. On May 31, 2016, leaders broke ground on AdventHealth’s new hospital in Wauchula, which opened on December 21, 2017.
In 2019, AdventHealth Wauchula expanded services to elevate community health and wellness by opening the AdventHealth Wellness Center at 610 West Orange Street. The 11,500-square-foot facility was transformed from a YMCA into a state-of-the-art health and wellness center that is open 24 hours a day to the public
In 2020, the AdventHealth Medical Group Prompt Care at Wauchula opened at 524 Carlton Street. Prompt Care is also a lower-cost alternative to the ER or other locations and is open seven days a week.
A Look Ahead
AdventHealth Wauchula is also working to add new services to serve the community better and make it easier for residents to get the vital care they need.
“AdventHealth is planning to unveil a Mobile MRI unit next month and a 3D mobile mammogram unit in February 2025. At AdventHealth Wauchula we are also working on plans to grow,” Johnson said. “These additions will help ensure that Hardee County residents don’t have to travel so far to receive critical care, instead, the high-quality, whole-person care we provide close to home.”
You can learn more about AdventHealth Wauchula and the services offered by going to www.adventhealth.com/hospital/adventhealth-wauchula.