Florida's population has been exploding over the past few years, but that growth hasn't been felt equally everywhere.
Liberty and Calhoun, two rural counties right next to each other, have experienced little to no population growth over the past five years. At the same time, the population is getting older.
Meanwhile, surrounding counties like Bay, Gulf and Wakulla have seen their population spike at least 15%. All five counties were hit by Hurricane Michael in 2018, but Liberty and Calhoun have been slower to recover. Calhoun Liberty Hospital, one of the few hospitals in the area, was hit hard during the storm, leaving its operating capacity at 40% for years.
“Luckily, we have good staff, but the limitations were, we didn't have wall oxygen, we didn't have suction, we didn't have proper lighting. It's almost like working out of your garage,” Murray Baker, the hospital’s medical director, said about working at the old hospital.
County residents, like Reece Mears, said they had to travel to other cities for healthcare while the hospital was operating at lower capacity.
“My wife was real sick, so it was, we started going more to Tallahassee, away from the hospital. It was pretty expensive, and it was a lot of time consuming,” he said.
But the hospital unveiled a brand new 50,000 square foot facility in Blountstown in July 2025
Walking around the hospital when it opened, Mears said its going to be an improvement for the area.
“It's going to be nice. It's already nice. I think it'll work out real good for my family and all the community,” he said.
Emily Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Calhoun Hospital, said the hospital is vital for both counties.
“It's instrumental as far as access to care for the area. It is, in essence, one of the most important types of facilities that you'll find in rural health care. This is a critical access hospital, which means it's at least 30 miles from another hospital, which 30 miles could be life or death. That could, you know, minutes seconds mean the outcome, a good outcome or a bad outcome,” she said.
The construction of this facility is happening as healthcare needs across Florida are expected to grow even more over the next 10 to 15 years, due to a population that is both growing and aging.
Florida Republican state Representative Shane Abbott attended the opening and helped advocate for funding. He said more investment in rural healthcare is needed across the state.
“I'm excited about what we can continue to do to develop rural health care, not just in the hospital setting, but through providers and other services, and try to get the whole gauntlet of health care available to those that live in rural areas,” he said.
