FSU Family Medicine Residency Program Reaches Full Capacity in Walton County
The Florida State University Family Medicine Residency Program at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has reached full capacity with 18 resident physicians training across Walton County, marking a milestone for a program launched just two years ago to address the Panhandle’s persistent primary care shortage.
Program Director Dr. Joshua Hodge confirmed that the three-year residency now operates with six residents per class. The program, established through a partnership between FSU’s College of Medicine and Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, trains doctors in their final years of medical education before they enter independent practice. Hodge said the goal is straightforward: keep as many of these physicians in the Florida Panhandle as possible after they complete their training.
The residents work out of the Walton County Community Health Center in Santa Rosa Beach, a federally qualified health center operated by the Florida Department of Health in Walton County. The clinic serves a patient population where nearly 70 percent lack any form of insurance coverage, according to Hodge. The program is designed to fill gaps in primary care access that have long plagued rural and underserved communities across the Panhandle.
For Freeport residents, the expansion carries particular significance. Hodge said the program is actively looking to extend its reach beyond the south Walton clinic location into the northern part of the county, where access to primary care is most limited. Freeport, situated along the State Road 20 corridor in north Walton County, has historically had fewer healthcare options than the coastal communities to the south. The program’s stated commitment to serving the underserved northern county areas aligns directly with the needs of Freeport’s growing population.
To accommodate the influx of residents and patients, the clinic is undergoing physical expansion. Three new exam rooms and one new integrated medicine room will bring the total to 12 patient rooms. Hodge noted that shared and private office spaces have been converted to exam rooms to maximize clinical capacity. With the expanded space and full physician roster, program leaders say the clinic can now handle approximately 900 appointments per month, with that figure expected to grow as the program matures.
The residency program graduated its first class in 2025, and early indicators suggest retention in the region is strong. Healthcare leaders view the program as a critical pipeline for addressing the Panhandle’s physician shortage, particularly in communities like Freeport where residents frequently travel to Destin, Fort Walton Beach, or DeFuniak Springs for routine medical care.
Originally reported by WJHG Newschannel 7 and MyPanhandle (WMBB).
Image: WJHG Newschannel 7
