Health First, AdventHealth Expanded Partnership Officially Begins

Fla., June 18, 2019 — ROCKLEDGE, Fla. (June 18, 2019) – Health First and AdventHealth are pleased to announce they have signed a deal to align resources. The new agreement will create a super-regional system of care, ushering in an era of making high-quality, convenient care even more accessible for customers from the Gulf Coast to the Space Coast.

The agreement, officially signed June 17, 2019, includes AdventHealth’s purchase of a minority share of Health First, while Brevard’s community healthcare system remains locally owned. This partnership brings even more advanced tools and technologies to the Integrated Delivery Network (IDN) — from digital innovation platforms to increased capital to improve the infrastructure and resources of their organization.

“Health First and AdventHealth have a proven track record of working together to enhance health care for the communities we serve,” said Steve Johnson, President and CEO of Health First. “We have seen firsthand, when we successfully launched a health plan together five years ago, that AdventHealth’s mission is right in line with ours. Both of our organizations are dedicated to serving the wellness and health needs of our communities – in an environment that heavily emphasizes integrity, ethics and the highest-quality, most compassionate care possible.”

This agreement will benefit not just the two organizations, but their customers, too. It will enhance the range of AdventHealth and Health First, forming a super-regional IDN. Customers will see expanded accessibility, the highest-quality care available and improved customer convenience.

“We’re more convinced than ever the alignment of the AdventHealth and Health First brands is a natural fit,” said Daryl Tol, President and CEO of AdventHealth Central Florida Division. “By partnering to create this new super region we are able to expand our services and deliver a connected experience for our consumers, one that now stretches from the Gulf Coast to the Space Coast.”

Health First retains majority control of the organization and will also maintain its name and brand but will have synergy with their AdventHealth partners — thanks to the use of technology and strategic initiatives that are still being considered.

“Health care is always changing, and we are excited to adapt to these changes,” Johnson said. “Health First has been a part of Brevard County for more than eight decades. Taking these steps will ensure we are here to serve our community for many more decades to come.”

About Health First

Founded in 1995, Health First is Brevard County's not-for-profit, community healthcare system. The fully integrated delivery network (IDN) includes health insurance plans, hospitals, a multi-specialty medical group, and outpatient and wellness services. As a locally owned, not-for-profit organization, Health First is committed to investing in our community. In 2017, Health First provided more than $159 million in community support. To learn more about Health First and how we're giving back to our community, please visit HFgivesback.org.

About AdventHealth

Founded in 1908 by pioneering Seventh-day Adventists who believed in whole-person health — healing the body, mind and spirit — AdventHealth has grown into one of the largest nonprofit hospitals in the country, caring for more than two million patient visits per year in metro Orlando alone. AdventHealth operates nearly 50 hospitals and hundreds of care centers in nearly a dozen states, making it one of the largest faith-based health-care systems in the United States.

AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division encompasses 16 hospitals in the six counties in and surrounding metro Orlando: Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Volusia and Flagler. The Central Florida Division’s care network also includes more than 30 CentraCare urgent-care centers; dozens of sports-rehab and imaging centers; and hundreds of physicians, ranging from primary care to a full spectrum of specialties.

AdventHealth Orlando, the division’s flagship campus, serves both as a community hospital and as a major tertiary referral hospital for the region, much of the Southeast, the Caribbean and Latin America.

AdventHealth Orlando is a designated statutory teaching hospital and trains physicians from around the world on the newest technology and procedures. The system provides a wide range of health services, including many nationally and internationally recognized programs in cardiology, cancer, women’s medicine, neuroscience, diabetes, orthopedics, pediatrics, transplant and advanced surgical programs.

The AdventHealth Research Institute has more than 250 investigators and more than 500 clinical trials in progress. AdventHealth Orlando is also home to the Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes and the Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement.