Health Central, one of the last remaining independent hospitals in Central Florida, decided Tuesday to partner with Orlando Health in a merger that will give the Ocoee hospital a financial lifeline and offer the hospital group a foothold in the growing suburbs of west Orange County. The Ocoee hospital's Board of Trustees voted 13-3 to align with Orlando Health, which operates seven hospitals in Central Florida, including its flagship, Orlando Regional Medical Center. Orlando Health executives promised to pump $120 million into Health Central during the next five years. In addition, they pledged to expand cancer services and women's-health services at the 171-bed Health Central, bringing in doctors and other staff from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center-Orlando and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies.
