MEDIA ADVISORY
September 24, 2025
CONTACT
Jossie Barroso
Communications Director,
Florida Voices for Health
ICYMI: Lake City Residents Reflect on Hospital Closures and Brainstorm
Solutions to Expanding Health Care Access
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Lake City, Fla. - Last week, more than 30 residents from Lake City and surrounding areas gathered to have an open conversation about the impact of rural hospital closures in recent years and the difficulties accessing high-quality health care. The health care event was hosted by Florida Voices for Health, a nonprofit health advocacy organization, as part of an ongoing listening campaign to implement solutions and spur action from residents and stakeholders to work on closing the health care gap in North Central Florida.
The health care event was titled “What Happened to Our Hospitals?”, focusing on the impact that the closure and reduced care opportunities at three area hospitals, including Shands Lake Shore and Shands Live Oak, had on the community.
Scott Darius, Executive Director with Florida Voices for Health, told attendees, “We actively want to help move through solutions. Our goals are to uplift some of the issues that you all as residents of Columbia county, as rural Floridians face - but also to look forward, to think about solutions and how we actually get there.”
Scott was joined by Philip Mobley with the NorthStar Family Resource Center, Jonathan Burgess, a former Lake City resident, and Steven Davis with the Rural Health Redesign Center, to kick off the sharing of their own health access stories and to discuss how other rural communities are bringing stakeholders together to find ways to create more affordable, accessible, and high-quality health care options in rural Florida. Both Florida Voices for Health, with the help of partners like the Rural Health Redesign Center, plan to continue discussing these issues with stakeholders, organizing meetings, and advocating for solutions with elected officials.
Below are news articles on the event, hosted in collaboration with local partners from the Columbia County Wellness Collaborative. To find out more about the local work being done by Florida Voices for Health and other partner organizations, please visit BringBackCareFL.org.
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About Florida Voices for Health
Florida Voices for Health is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to improve health care outcomes for all Floridians. We are a coalition of community organizations, businesses, and individuals working to create a health care system that works for every Floridian. Our partners work together to bring the latest resources and information into our communities. We also make sure that the stories and the interests of hard working, low and moderate income Floridians are represented in the health reform debate.