North Walton Doctors Hospital

04/20/2026

Every day, the men and women of Walton County Fire Rescue respond to emergencies in our community. They show up in moments of fear, uncertainty, and crisis — and they do it with professionalism, courage, and care.

We see you. We respect you. And we are grateful for you.

North Walton Doctors Hospital exists to serve the same people you serve. Our emergency physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, lab technicians, and surgical team are here around the clock for the same reason you are — because the people of North Walton County deserve world-class care close to home.

We believe the best patient outcomes happen when hospitals and first responders work together seamlessly. That partnership is something we are committed to building, strengthening, and celebrating.

To every EMT and paramedic serving Walton County — thank you. The work you do matters more than words can express, and North Walton Doctors Hospital is proud to stand alongside you in service to this community.

This is our emergency department - ready 24/7 for every patient who needs care. Our doors are open — to our patients, to our community, and to you.

— Ben Burnham, CEO
North Walton Doctors Hospital

04/16/2026

🏥 When an emergency happens, the last thing you want to hear is “we’re going to have to send you somewhere else.”

In 2025, North Walton Doctors Hospital made sure most families in our community never had to hear those words. Of more than 12,400 emergency visits last year, we kept 95.6% of our patients right here — a 4.4% transfer rate that beats the national rural average of 6.2%.

That’s not an accident. It’s because we invested in a full surgical program, inpatient care, and the team to support them. Freestanding ERs can’t offer that — without operating rooms or inpatient beds, their patients often have to be transferred to a hospital like ours anyway.

When you come to NWDH, you’re far more likely to stay close to home, close to family, and close to the people who love you.
Thank you, Walton County, for letting us care for you in 2025. We’re honored to be your hospital.

04/14/2026

Leave a Legacy 💙

This April, North Walton Doctors Hospital is proud to celebrate Donate Life Month by recognizing our valued partners LifeNet, LifeQuest, and the Lions World Vision Institute for their incredible dedication to tissue donation and recovery.

🚩 On Friday, April 10, we were honored to host a special flag-raising ceremony alongside these organizations—symbolizing our shared mission to save lives and bring hope through donation.

This year’s theme, “Leave a Legacy,” is especially meaningful as our partnership continues to grow. With their support, we reached an important milestone last year: our first tissue donation referrals from the Emergency Department.

This achievement reflects the power of collaboration and the lasting impact these partnerships will have on the lives of others.

We are truly grateful for these partnerships and look forward to continuing this lifesaving work together. 💙

04/14/2026

Leave a legacy. 🩵

This April, during Donate Life Month, proudly recognizes and celebrates our valued partners LifeNet, LifeQuest, and the Lions World Vision Institute for their dedication to tissue donation and recovery.

Last Friday, April 10, we were honored to host a special flag-raising ceremony alongside all three organizations, symbolizing our shared commitment to saving and enhancing lives through donation.

This years them, “Leave a Legacy,” is especially fitting for this partnership that is in its infancy.

With their support, North Walton Doctors Hospital achieved an important milestone last year… our first tissue donation referrals from our Emergency Department.

This accomplishment reflects not only the legacy of the works these partnerships will generate, but also the power of collaboration and our collective mission to provide hope and healing to others.

We are grateful for our partnership and look forward to continuing this lifesaving work together.

04/09/2026

We are so happy to announce our partnership with Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Cardiology. For the very first time, residents in North Walton County are able to access specialty care close to home. We’ve now brought Cardiology, Radiology, Dermatology, Laboratory Services, Spine Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Hospitalists, and Pain Management.

Many more coming. We are the only health care provider in North Walton County building in real health care infrastructure in the area. Our commitment is made clear by the actions we take every day to bring new doctors and new services to North Walton!

03/30/2026

At North Walton Doctors Hospital, every patient matters.

We recently received heartfelt feedback from a lifelong Walton County resident who visited our Emergency Room. After arriving with severe symptoms, they shared that from the moment they walked in, they were "immediately greeted and assisted" and that our ER staff "treated me like a patient and not a number."

That's exactly the standard of care we strive for every single day. Our team is committed to providing compassionate, personal attention to every member of this community — because you're our neighbors, not just our patients.

To our incredible ER team: thank you for showing up and making a difference. And to the patient who took the time to share their experience — we're grateful for your trust and wish you a speedy recovery.

If you or a loved one needs care, North Walton Doctors Hospital is here for you.

03/27/2026

🎉 EXCITING NEWS FOR OUR COMMUNITY! 🎉

North Walton Doctors Hospital is thrilled to announce a new partnership with the Florida State University College of Medicine! Beginning this year, NWDH will serve as a training site for FSU's Family Medicine Residency Program.

This is a tremendous milestone — not just for our hospital, but for the entire North Walton community. Having a Family Medicine residency program here means more physicians trained right here in our community, a deeper commitment to expanding access to quality primary care, and a continued investment in the future of healthcare in North Florida.

We are incredibly proud to partner with one of the state's premier medical institutions and to play a role in shaping the next generation of family physicians.

Stay tuned for more details — great things are ahead for North Walton Doctors Hospital!

03/24/2026

Our hearts are with the students, families, and staff at Walton Middle School following today’s tragic incident.

03/09/2026

Dear Friends and Valued Patients:

Our hospital opened its doors on September 16, 2024, and filled the emergency services gap that placed all of North Walton County into jeopardy when health emergencies arose. For over 18 months, our doctors and nurses were there for you when no one else was. During this time, we expanded services to include overnight stays, outpatient labs and imaging, and multiple new physicians into our medical office building.

We entered 2026 with plans for more inpatient beds, more physician specialists, rural health clinics, urgent care, and women's imaging. With a new freestanding emergency room open just down the street, we are seeing significantly fewer EMS transports and a decline in our ER visits. All of our other service lines continue to increase. There are so many benefits to having the ER as part of the hospital. On site respiratory therapy means if you are experiencing trouble breathing, you have a specialized care team member to get your breathing better faster. Having the onsite hospital lab means your lab tests have faster results with far greater accuracy than a point of care unit and you can get the right treatment faster.

We are identifying and planning to meet the health care infrastructure needs of North Walton County this year and for years to come. We haven't asked for your direct assistance before, but we need everyone who has had excellent care to let their friends and neighbors hear about it and make sure they know if they want high quality emergency care that reinvests dollars in our community by expanding services and recruiting new doctors to our region, there is only one choice for your emergency care - and that's North Walton Doctors Hospital.

Send a message to learn more

02/05/2026

We are here to serve the full range of healthcare needs for our community! Now that there are options for when medical emergencies arise, we wanted to take the time to educate the public on the big differences between the 2 facilities. Thank you to our wonderful staff, caring physicians, and supportive community for allowing us to be the healthcare destination of choice for North Walton County!

02/03/2026

We wanted to clear up some confusion as it relates to our facility. For now and the future, we remain the only hospital in North Walton County. 2025 was our first full year in operation and we wanted to report some of our statistics. Every month, we served over 1,000 patients just in our Emergency Department and in total last year we served nearly 15,000 patients. For Emergency Care, we are covered to provide care on every insurance plan.

While there is another option for Emergency Care, NWDH remains the only Emergency Room in the North End that can admit patients overnight or that can perform operating room procedures on those who need that level of care. Beyond the Emergency Room, which is where our competitor ends, we provide laboratory testing and a full suite of imaging services and all you need to do is bring in your doctor's order. We performed over 2,000 outpatient lab and imaging tests in 2025.

Our surgeons, which include orthopedics, spine, vascular, and skin surgerons, performed 300 surgeries in 2025 at the hospital. Our inpatient and observation unit accommodated 129 overnight stays. We have successfully recruited pain management, dermatology, orthopedics, spine surgery, and cardiology providers to see patients in our medical office building in just one year, with many other specialists interest in opening practices here in DeFuniak Springs.

Our commitment to the community continues in 2026, with the expansion of outpatient services to bring general surgery, primary care, and urgent care to the North end of the county. And we are working to expand our surgical capacity and increase our number of hospital beds to meet the demands of our growing community. We know you have many choices when selecting where to receive health services, but when it comes to finding a facility that is committed to bringing physicians and hospital-based care to the DeFuniak Springs area, there is only one option - North Walton Doctors Hospital!

01/14/2026

Robyn C
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My experience here after ACDF surgery has been awesome. All the nurses took such good care of me . Randy was especially wonderful. He didn’t miss a beat, and I felt like a VIP. He went out of his way the entire time. He was such a blessing. Thank you!! Last but not least, a huge thank you to Dr. Creek he is amazing! Thank you again!

Robert Cloke
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Our nurse Randy Johnson was amazing. Maybe the best nurse I’ve ever had. Thanks Randy!

JoAnna
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I have been seen here a few times, and I have to say that I am impressed with the service and care from the staff (at all levels). This is the only emergency room that I have gone to that has had the quickest turn around. Of course, certain circumstances may cause the visit to be a little longer (which I have experienced once). I recommend coming here over having to make that drive to a town outside of Defuniak Springs. I am so thankful to have this hospital nearby. One last thing, I truly appreciate how they sent over my ER visit to the VA to make them aware of my visit. They are the only hospital that I know that does this for veterans.