Healthcare is an important part of Bartow's commitment to a better future for its citizens. Bartow Regional Medical Center is a 72-bed acute care medical facility serving South Lakeland, Bartow , Ft. Meade, Mulberry, rural south Polk County, and northern Hardee County.

Physicians and healthcare professionals at Bartow Regional Medical Center provide a variety of surgical services, including laparoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, ear nose and throat (ENT), vascular, cosmetic, podiatric, and urological.  The hospital is equipped with four surgery suites and two gastroenterology suites with procedures available through the hospital's outpatient services center. The emergency services department is staffed with board certified emergency physicians and specially trained nurses, 24 hours-a-day, 7 days a week, to treat all types of emergency situations.   The emergency department boasts an average in-and-out of the ER of 2 hours.

Diagnostic/ancillary services include a new CT scanner, MRI scanning, echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, holter monitoring, mammography, ultrasound, pulmonary function testing, neurodiagnostics, nuclear medicine, as well as full-service laboratory, radiology, and respiratory care departments. Bartow Regional Medical Center has a new Center for Therapy and Wellness on its campus adjacent to the hospital. The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine, also located on campus has a Medical Director who is the only board certified wound care specialist in the area.

The medical center is located in Polk County which  is 2010.2 square miles in size, the fifth largest county in Florida.  It is larger than the state of Delaware. Within these borders are things uniquely Polk County:  Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, Bok Tower, the Kissimmee River State Park, the Mayfaire and Blooming Arts Festivals, The Lakeland Center, the Historic Polk Theatre, bike and walking trails and hundreds of lakes perfect for boating, fishing or water skiing.

The Lakeland Center and the Historic Polk Theatre attract professional entertainment every year that complements a wealth of local talent showcased by community theatres, the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, the Polk Museum of Art, and the Lake Wales Art Center to name a few.

Polk County , historically a citrus and phosphate- based county now boasts 63 Fortune 500 companies such as Fed Ex, Coca Cola and State Farm.  Publix Super Markets Inc. is headquartered here and will always be a source of pride for the area.

Bartow Elementary Academy, Union Academy, and Bartow High School International Baccalaureate program are ranked amongst the top in the State.  Bartow High School is ranked 183 in Newsweek magazine’s latest list of the best 1,355 high schools in the U.S. The article titled “The Top of the Class” can be read at http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380 and was released May 20 by the magazine. 

In addition to a traditional high school, Bartow High houses an International Baccalaureate program and Summerlin Academy, a military high school that is a school of choice.

Only about five percent of approximately 27,000 U.S. public high schools made Newsweek’s list in 2008.

Bartow High’s rankings in the annual list are as follows:
2008: 183 out of 1, 355 schools ranked
2007: 176 out of 1,236 schools ranked
2005: 253 out of 1, 043 schools ranked
2004: No rankings published in 2004
2003: 459 out of 806 schools ranked

Bartow High’s Newsweek ranking follows a November 29, 2007 article in U.S. News and World Report that ranked the school’s International Baccalaureate program third in the nation in a story titled “America’s Best High Schools.” More than 18,700 public schools were evaluated for the U.S. News and World Report rankings.

The U.S. News and World Report article can be viewed at http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2007/11/29/americas-best-high-schools.html

The higher education community is constantly growing in Polk County.  The University of South Florida, Polk County Community College, Florida Southern College, Southeastern University, Webber International, Warner Southern College, Webster University and Keiser University are all located within the county.

Lakeland is a very popular destination, especially during the Sun N’ Fun Fly-In every April.  Disney World (40 minutes), SeaWorld  (40 minutes), Universal Studios (45 minutes), the beaches ( 1 ½ hours), Kennedy Spaceport (1 ½ hours), and Tampa and Orlando Airports (less than 45 minutes) add convenience and fun to the area. 

The more than 565,000 people who live in Polk County enjoy the winter average temperature in the 70’s and mid 80’s to low 90’s in the summer.