FWB Medical Center becomes HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital; CEO shares expansion plans

Tony Judnich, Northwest Florida Daily News
·2 min read

FORT WALTON BEACH – On Friday, the day after the Fort Walton Beach Medical Center officially became known as HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, the hospital’s CEO formally introduced himself to a large audience at the local chamber of commerce’s First Friday Coffee event.

The First Baptist Church of Fort Walton Beach was the site of the event that was sponsored by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce and attended by more than 250 people. They helped welcome the hospital’s CEO, Zach McCluskey, along with the hospital’s board of trustees.

McCluskey said HCA Healthcare’s mission, above all else, is being committed to “the care and improvement of human life.”

Zach McCluskey, CEO of HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, talks about the hospital's new name along with the renaming of HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital during the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee at the First Baptist Church of Fort Walton Beach.
Zach McCluskey, CEO of HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, talks about the hospital's new name along with the renaming of HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital during the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee at the First Baptist Church of Fort Walton Beach.

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The 267-bed hospital has served the community for nearly 50 years. According to company information, the HCA Florida Healthcare statewide brand that launched Thursday connects approximately 11,000 staff physicians, 77,000 colleagues, 49 hospitals and more than 450 physician practices, freestanding emergency rooms and urgent care centers.

An artist's rendering shows what HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital will look like when its expansion is completed.
An artist's rendering shows what HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital will look like when its expansion is completed.

The 65-bed Twin Cities Hospital in Niceville also is now part of the HCA Florida Healthcare network and has been renamed HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital. Its CEO, Todd Jackson, also attended the First Friday Coffee.

McCluskey said HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital is undergoing a $100 million multi-phase expansion that will include the addition of a four-story patient tower.

The first floor, which will have 18 intensive care unit beds, and the second floor, which will contain 24 medical/surgical beds, will be completed in August, McCluskey said.

The other two floors will have additional hospital beds and are set to open early next year, he said. The overall expansion project also includes a new parking garage and a larger cafeteria.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: HCA Fort Walton-Destin hospital CEO shares expansion plans