In conjunction with the Walton County Health Department/Walton Community Health Center and the University of Florida, Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in South Walton has launched a new physician residency program.
The new program is headquartered at the Walton County Health Department (WCHD) in Santa Rosa Beach and has been open since July 1. Administrator Holly Holt said, “We’re developing residents that we hope want to stay in our community. We found out years ago when we were doing our community needs assessment that there’s a real need in our area for more clinician providers.”
Holt said the federally-qualified health center is the first in the state to launch this kind of residency program and she believes it will have a real impact when it comes to advancing health care in Walton County and Northwest Florida. “The aim is to meet the community’s needs while also getting doctors to stay in this area,” she added.
