EXHIBIT 99.1


                                              NEWS RELEASE
                                              FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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


                  PROVINCE HEALTHCARE COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF
                               NEW MEXICO HOSPITAL

         Brentwood, TN, June 3, 2002 - Province Healthcare Company (Nasdaq:PRHC)
today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Los Alamos Medical
Center in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The 47-bed hospital was acquired from Banner
Health System in Phoenix, Arizona for approximately $38 million. The sale was
effective June 1, 2002.

         Los Alamos Medical Center has 2002 annualized revenues of approximately
$33.2 million, is a sole community provider and serves a population of
approximately 50,000.

         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 2,315 licensed beds. The
Company also provides management services to 35 primarily non-urban hospitals in
13 states with a total of 2,776 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 (PRHC) at (615)370-1377