Health Management Associates, Inc. Appoints Divisional Leader

NAPLES, FLORIDA--(Business Wire)--
Health Management Associates, Inc. (NYSE:HMA) announced today that
Page H. Vaughan has been appointed Senior Vice President and
Divisional CEO for HMA's Midwest City area hospital operations,
including the Oklahoma Heart Hospital South Campus joint venture.

Mr. Vaughan most recently served as Senior Vice President and
Divisional CEO for HMA's North and South Carolina hospitals where he
assisted in the successful completion of HMA's seven-hospital joint
venture with Winston Salem-based Novant Health. Mr. Vaughan began his
career with HMA in 1991 as an Assistant Administrator at Highland's
Regional Medical Center in Sebring, Florida, and has steadily
progressed in leadership roles within the company including CEO
responsibilities at several of HMA's replacement hospitals.

"Page's track record as a successful hospital operator, together
with his reputation as a champion of collaboration between physicians
and hospitals, makes him an excellent choice for this important
position," said Kelly Curry, HMA's Chief Operating Officer. "With a
recently completed hospital joint venture with local physicians and a
developing multifaceted joint venture with the Oklahoma Heart
Hospital, HMA's Midwest Regional Medical Center requires Page's twenty
years' of experience and expertise to ensure continued success."

HMA's mission is the delivery of compassionate and high quality
health care services that improve the quality of life for its
patients, physicians, and the communities it serves. HMA owns and
operates 57 hospitals, with approximately 8,100 licensed beds, in
non-urban communities located throughout the United States. All
references to "HMA" or the "Company" used in this release refer to
Health Management Associates, Inc. or its affiliates.

Certain statements contained in this release, including, without
limitation, statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates,"
"intends," "expects," "optimistic," and words of similar import,
constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may
include projections of revenue, income or loss, capital expenditures,
debt structure, bad debt expense, capital structure, or other
financial items, statements regarding the plans and objectives of
management for future operations, statements of future economic
performance, statements of the assumptions underlying or relating to
any of the foregoing statements, and other statements which are other
than statements of historical fact.

Statements made throughout this release are based on current
estimates of future events, and HMA has no obligation to update or
correct these estimates. Readers are cautioned that any such
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance
and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may
differ materially as a result of these various factors.

Health Management Associates, Inc.
John C. Merriwether, Vice President of
Financial Relations, 239-598-3131

Copyright Business Wire 2008