EXHIBIT 99



(PROVINCE HEALTHCARE LOGO)



                                              NEWS RELEASE
                                              FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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



           PROVINCE HEALTHCARE COMPANY DECLARES DIVIDEND DISTRIBUTION
                       OF PREFERRED SHARE PURCHASE RIGHTS

         Brentwood TN, December 30, 2002 - The Board of Directors of Province
Healthcare Company (NYSE: PRV) has declared a dividend distribution of one
Preferred Share Purchase Right on each outstanding share of the Company's common
stock. Subject to limited exceptions, the Rights will be exercisable if a person
or group acquires 15% or more of the Company's common stock or announces a
tender offer for 15% or more of the common stock. Under certain circumstances,
each Right will entitle shareholders to buy one ten-thousandth of a share of
newly created Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock of the Company at an
exercise price of $75.00. The Company's Board will be entitled to redeem the
Rights at $0.01 per Right at any time before a person has acquired 15% or more
of the outstanding common stock.

         The Rights are intended to enable all of the Company's shareholders to
realize the long-term value of their investment in the Company. They do not
prevent a takeover, but should encourage anyone seeking to acquire the Company
to negotiate with the Board of Directors prior to attempting a takeover. The
Rights Plan will expire on December 31, 2012.

         The Rights are not being distributed in response to any specific effort
to acquire control of the Company. The Rights are designed to assure that all of
the Company's shareholders receive fair and equal treatment in the event of any
proposed takeover of the Company and to guard against partial tender offers,
open market accumulations and other abusive or coercive tactics to gain control
of the Company without paying all shareholders a control premium.

         If a person becomes an Acquiring Person, each Right will entitle its
holder to purchase, at the Right's then-current exercise price, a number of
shares of the Company's common stock having a market value at that time of twice
the Right's exercise price. Rights held by the






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Acquiring Person will become void and will not be exercisable to purchase shares
at the bargain purchase price. An Acquiring Person is defined as a person who
acquires 15% or more of the outstanding common stock of the Company. If the
Company is acquired in a merger or other business combination transaction which
has not been approved by the Board of Directors, each Right will entitle its
holder to purchase, at the Right's then-current exercise price, a number of
shares of the acquiring company's common stock having a market value at that
time of twice the Right's exercise price.

         The dividend distribution to establish the new Rights Plan will be
payable to shareholders of record on January 10, 2003. The Rights will expire in
ten years. The Rights distribution is not taxable to shareholders.

         Province Healthcare is a provider of health care services in attractive
non-urban markets in the United States. The Company owns or leases 20 general
acute care hospitals in 13 states with a total of 2,280 licensed beds. The
Company also provides management services to 35 primarily non-urban hospitals in
14 states with a total of 2,863 licensed beds.

         Certain statements contained in this release, constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may include projections of
revenues, income or loss, capital expenditures, 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. These statements
are based on current estimates of future events, and the Company has no
obligation to update or correct these estimates unless considered material to
the Company. 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, changes in reimbursement levels by government
programs, including Medicare and Medicaid or other third party payors, and the
Company's ability to implement successfully its acquisition and development
strategy. Those and other risks are described in the Company's reports and
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACT: MERILYN H. HERBERT, PROVINCE HEALTHCARE COMPANY (PRV) AT (615) 370-1377




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