Dear Friends,

There have been numerous advances in our quality of life and medical care in the last 75 years. We have come from a time when: cataract surgery and gallbladder surgery required months of
recovery, X-ray machines were only beginning to be available in the largest hospitals in major cities, the only effective drug available for life threatening infections was sulfa, the family doctor was called on to diagnose and treat literally every injury and condition that crossed their examination table, and the average life expectancy for Florida residents was 55 years.

These time travelers from 1926 would see science fiction brought to life: imaging machines and scanners capable of providing non-surgical views into the human brain and heart, providing three-dimensional displays of the living organs in action, medical tests so accurate they can pinpoint the risk of life-threatening disease years before physical symptoms would be manifested or discovered, major surgery performed and patients returning to work the next day.

Technological advances and dedicated physicians and employees have engineered these changes.

As you take the time today to read this condensed history of Winter Haven Hospital and join us in celebrating our organization's 75th birthday, please allow me on behalf of the 3000 employees of Winter Haven Hospital, our Board of Trustees, and our medical staff to Thank you, the communities we care for. It is because of you that we exist and are able to carry out our mission, which is to improve the health of the communities we serve by providing high-quality, cost-effective care and services.

Sincerely,

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Celebrating 75 Years