Community Hospitality Healthcare Services provided $9 million in New Markets Tax Credit allocation to Northwest Florida Community Hospital Inc. to finance construction costs and equipment purchases for a new 14,000 square foot surgical center in Washington County, FL. The new surgery unit will address an infrastructure deficit in the region that had become a bottleneck that limited the Critical Access Hospital in providing essential inpatient and outpatient services to individuals and families in this rural, medically underserved area.  

The $10.6 million project includes the addition of advanced, state-of-the-art surgical equipment and modernized facilities. Over the past couple of years, Chipley Hospital reported a 33% increase in surgical procedure demand, primarily for orthopedic and pediatric dentistry services. With increased capacity, Chipley Hospital will expand services to include Ear Nose Throat, Urology, Podiatry, and other types of critical surgeries. The establishment of an improved and operationally efficient surgical unit addresses major health disparities in the rural, low-income community. The hospital had been at surgical capacity with no ability to meet additional demand in the community. Upon completion, the project will serve serving 2,251 unduplicated surgery patients annually, representing a 19% increase in capacity, which will meet the immediate forecasted demand in the community.