Health news: People on the move in Polk s medical community
The Ledger
WINTER HAVEN HOSPITAL
Winter Haven Hospital s Bostick Structural Heart Team completed its first MitraClip procedure. The MitraClip repairs a condition called mitral regurgitation. When the mitral valve fails to close completely, it can cause blood to flow backward through the heart. Left untreated, mitral regurgitation can lead to serious complications, including heart failure. This approach helps patients avoid open-heart procedures, meaning they can recover and resume their normal lives sooner. Offering such services is a direct benefit of the expansion of Winter Haven Hospital s cardiac program, especially the addition of the hybrid catheterization lab.
I am very, very disappointed, Gene Strickland said. That would be the kindest thing I could say.
According to the deal approved Monday, Lakeland Regional Health will prepay its lease to the city through the year 2040, and thereafter pay only $10 per year.
Strickland, a former city manager, and Jerry Reynolds, Lakeland s finance director for nearly 20 years, were at the table when the city first struck its deal with Lakeland Regional Health in 1986. Prior to that, it had been a community hospital run by the city, which also was responsible for its debts.
Reynolds sent an email to commissioners ahead of Monday s vote that gives insight into how the original lease agreement was intentionally structured to provide a revenue stream for the city.
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