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                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1

                                             NEWS RELEASE
                                             FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                             CONTACT:  MERILYN H. HERBERT
                                             VICE PRESIDENT, INVESTOR RELATIONS
                                             (615) 370-1377

                     PROVINCE HEALTHCARE ANNOUNCES A SECOND
                              ACQUISITION AGREEMENT

         Brentwood, Tennessee, June 25, 2001--Province Healthcare Company
(Nasdaq: PRHC) today announced that the Company has reached agreement to acquire
Ashland Regional Medical Center in Ashland, Pennsylvania. This is the second
hospital acquisition agreement announced in 2001, and the transaction is
expected to close in the third quarter of 2001. The Company now has two
remaining Letters of Intent (LOI's) outstanding.

         Ashland Regional Medical Center is a 126-bed hospital with net revenues
for its last fiscal year of approximately $21 million. Under the agreement,
Province will pay approximately $4.0 million for the facility.

         Martin S. Rash, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Province
Healthcare, commented, "Ashland Regional will be our first Pennsylvania hospital
and is a typical Province acquisition. It is the only hospital in the community
with a service area of approximately 65,000 residents. By bringing new services,
updated facilities and additional highly qualified physicians to this community,
we have the opportunity to make Ashland Regional the leading provider of quality
healthcare in the area."

         Province Healthcare is a provider of health care services in attractive
non-urban markets in the United States. The Company owns or leases 14 general
acute care hospitals in nine states with a total of 1,358 licensed beds. The
Company also provides management services to 38 primarily non-urban hospitals in
14 states with a total of 3,098 licensed beds.

         Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in
this release are forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties
which may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to differ
materially from forecasted results. Those risks include, among others, risks
associated with general economic and business conditions, the effect of future
governmental regulations, including the recently enacted Balanced Budget Act of
1997, changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement levels, and the Company's
ability to implement successfully its acquisition and development strategy and
to obtain financing therefore. Those and other risks are described in the
Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), copies of
which are available from the SEC or may be obtained upon request from the
Company.

CONTACT:  Merilyn H. Herbert, Province Healthcare Company (PRHC) at
          (615) 370-1377.