LAKE CITY, Fla. (WCJB) - Many people in North Central Florida have to travel a long way to go to the hospital, and some people are calling this a health care crisis.

The Lakeshore Hospital in Lake City closed back in 2020, but now residents say having more access to health care is a need and not a want.

“We need more,” shared retired nurse Mattie Jones.

Jones was the director of nursing at Lakeshore before it closed. She says a lack of access to health care in Columbia County and the surrounding rural areas, especially hurts expectant mothers, who need to visit an OBGYN or have to travel to give birth.

“It’s just not fair for mothers, and it’s not safe for the mothers or the babies,” Jones said.

Jones attended the “What Happened to our Hospitals” event, emphasizing how staff at Lake C

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