Facility Information:
Fort Walton Beach Medical Center is located on the beautiful Emerald Coast in the Panhandle of Florida and has proudly served the needs of their communities since 1974. Fort Walton Beach Medical Center is the area's only full service acute care hospital.
The Medical Center is 247-bed facility that has recently undergone a $49 million dollar expansion and renovation project. The recently completed expansion includes the addition of twelve new operating room suites, two new Cath Labs, a new 33-bed private room Progressive Care Unit, a new 33-bed private room Cancer Center and a new expanded outpatient services area.
The Heart Center a FWMBC, which opened in May 2003, was recognized by HCA in 2005 as the one of the Top 20 Cardiac Programs in its Center of Excellence Program. In addition, the Cancer Care Center was surveyed by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeon and was granted a three-year approval with commendation by the Commission.
Community Information:
Fort Walton Beach is experiencing some of the most significant growth in all of Florida, with the greatest percent of growth in the 55-64-age range. Fort Walton Beach and its surrounding communities abound with large & small businesses, beautiful residential neighborhoods, sophisticated condo complexes, an active industrial park engaged in light, clean industry. Okaloosa County was listed fifth by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, among the top 315 U.S counties for their employment growth in 2003 jumping 4.4%. In 2005, the Milken Institute ranked For Walton Beach as the best-performing small metro city in the country.
The area supports Eglin Air Force Base, the largest military base in the world, as well as, Hurlburt Field, home of the Air Force Special Operations Command, and Duke Field, home of the 919th Special Operations Wing. The economic impact of the combined military presence in the area is an estimated $5 billion.
The area offers year round golf, swimming, tennis and all water sports including deep-sea fishing and every level of boating. There are many cultural activities including two Symphonies, the ballet, and an art center. The area enjoys numerous fine restaurants, many entertainment facilities, and several beautiful parks.
Okaloosa County is the highest performing public school system in Florida. For the past three years, Okaloosa students have outscored their peers statewide on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which measures reading, writing, mathematics and science proficiency and learning gains against the Sunshine State Standards. The educational system supports kindergarten through graduate school. For more information about local schools visit the Okaloosa County School District Web site at, www.okaloosa.k12.fl.us. Institutes for higher learning include, The University of West Florida, Okaloosa-Walton College, Troy University Florida Region, and the University of Florida Graduate Engineering Research Center.
Churches of most denominations, many civic organizations, and numerous clubs can be found throughout the area. Situated on the Emerald Coast of the Gulf of Mexico, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center draws from an area of more than 280,000 people.
Fort Walton Beach is a great place to live, work and play!