Lower Keys Medical Center Remains Steadfast in Service to the Lower Keys

I write today with hope for the future and gratitude for the resilience of our provider team at Lower Keys Medical Center. The pandemic has demonstrated how interconnected we all are in our community, the impact each one of us can have and the benefit of working together for a common cause. We care deeply about our community and remain steadfast in our commitment to deliver safe, quality healthcare services.

The arc of life is always present in a hospital, but its frailty has been very clear this past year. Patients continued to receive the medical care they needed thanks to our physicians and team of healthcare professionals who provided direct care to patients, kept our facilities clean and sanitized, ensured the safety of our patients and staff and worked tirelessly to maintain hospital operations and access to services. Our family of caregivers put aside their personal concerns and came to help every single day, with bravery and courage. We will continue to support our community and grow the services provided in the lower Keys.

In the last official report of patients served, submitted to the State of Florida (2019), Lower Keys Medical Center touched the lives of our patients through the emergency department, inpatient services, births, surgeries and outpatient visits with more than 100,000 encounters. Parents welcomed 400 babies. Our emergency department served 22,900 patients, the hospital admitted 3,100 patients and 2,700 surgeries were performed.

Lower Keys Medical Center supported civic resources and community services through $1,684,000 in property and sales taxes and over $80,000,000 in charity and uncompensated care, local spending, payroll and donations and outreach.

In 2020, the hospital continued to expand access to care, adding five providers to Keys Medical Group in primary care, cardiology, gastroenterology and psychiatry. We combined cardiology, gastroenterology and ENT/otolaryngology into one specialty office location for access and convenience for patients, offered telehealth services from most of our providers and added outpatient diagnostic testing in cardiology.

Lower Keys Medical Center achieved accreditation from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association as a Primary Stroke Center. Also recognized as a Chest Pain Center by the American College of Cardiology, the hospital added new cardiac MRI equipment.

We can’t thank our staff and medical staff enough for their dedication through challenging times, and our community for its outpouring of encouragement, prayers, appreciation and concern for all the members of the Lower Keys Medical Center family. Together we will continue to recover and work toward a stronger and healthier future.

David Clay is the Chief Executive Officer of Lower Keys Medical Center

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