History
Hospital care in Santa Rosa County began in 1951, when a group of local businessmen and citizens formed the County Hospital Board and applied for a certificate of organization. These initial events set the stage for what would eventually become Santa Rosa Medical Center. Construction for the original facility began in mid-1951, and on December 2, 1952, the first patients were admitted. Santa Rosa Hospital, located on Stewart Street in Milton, was chartered as a non-profit hospital and was managed by county officials.
Milton and the surrounding communities experienced tremendous growth throughout the '50s and '60s. As a result, Santa Rosa Hospital was expanded in 1963 and again in 1966 to better serve the area's growing needs. By 1970, the population was again straining the capabilities of the now 100-bed facility.
Sensing the continued population growth of Santa Rosa County, the hospital's board of trustees and county commissioners drafted a proposal to construct a new facility on a new site. Plans for a four-floor facility including more than 100,000 square feet of diagnostic and treatment space were developed. A site was chosen and construction soon began at the hospital's present location on Berryhill Road in Milton. The new $4.5 million, 153-bed county-owned facility opened in December 1972 with approximately 300 employees.
In 1985, the county leased the management of Santa Rosa Hospital to a national hospital management organization, and the name was changed to Santa Rosa Medical Center. Since then, several management organizations have operated the facility, but we have always retained our commitment to providing community and patient-centered care.
In recent years, Santa Rosa Medical Center has undertaken a variety of improvement projects, investing in technology, renovations and construction. These updates have totaled more than $15 million and include a 13,000 square-foot addition to upgrade the emergency rooms to a 21-bed, all-private facility with specialized rooms and equipment. Upgrades also include renovated operating rooms, advanced surgical equipment, ENT specialists, new air conditioning and upgraded electrical systems, renovated community education room, an additional lighted parking lot and other projects to enhance the building and grounds. These improvements and renovations were made in anticipation of the continued growth of Santa Rosa County and in support of our goal to fulfill all of our community's healthcare needs.
In 2019, Santa Rosa Medical Center opened the hospital's first and the community's only freestanding emergency department in Pace at the corner of Woodbine Road and Hwy 90. The freestanding emergency department (FSED) has 8 private patient rooms with radiology and lab services on-site. Many emergency services can be effectively managed at FSEDs without the need for transfer to a traditional hospital setting.
We continue to recruit primary care and specialty care physicians to the medical staff to help ensure patients can receive quality care from specialists with the medical knowledge and experience the community needs and deserves.
The current 129-bed Santa Rosa Medical Center provides an array of health care services on the main campus and also reaches out into the Milton, Pace and Navarre communities with services such as Santa Rosa Medical Group, walk-in care, Santa Rosa Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine and a medical office building that houses The Women's Place and other outpatient services.