New doctor comes to Chipley

CHIPLEY – Northwest Florida Community Hospital welcomed its newest physician Friday. The Washington County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Dr. Maurice Marholin, DO, and the Northwest Florida Family Health Clinic.

Northwest Florida Community Hospital CEO Pat Schlenker, the staff of NFCH, and others welcomed Marholin to the new clinic. The modular building is on the east side of the hospital and includes six examination rooms and a procedure room, as well as an office for Marholin and another office for rotating specialists that would treat patients on a regular basis.

Marholin is a native of south Florida and received his doctorate in osteopathic medicine from Nova University. He is board certified in family practice and completed his residency at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Marholin also has a doctorate in chiropractic medicine and is certified in clinical nutrition, health care risk management and is a certified health care legal consultant.

Schlenker called Marholin’s arrival important for several reasons. “As a federally designated medically underserved area and health professional shortage area, we do not have enough medical resources, including providers, services and facilities, to meet the health care needs of our population,” Schlenker said.

“Four years ago the hospital was provided less that 13 percent of the health care needs of this county. The good news is that based on the most recent data available we are now meeting well over 30 percent of the county’s health care needs,” Schlenker said. The CEO said that a facility like NFCH should meet about 60 percent of the county’s health care needs.

Schlenker said that recruiting new provides like Marholin was an important step toward improving health care in the county. “Washington County is short approximately nine primary care physicians,” he said. The CEO noted that a number of new services have been added at the hospital, but more physicians are badly needed.

“Whatever needs this town has for me I have an equal need to be here,” Marholin said, “ and I’m very excited about that.” He called the clinic “first class,” and said that he and the hospital, “have a shared vision for taking this to the next level of medical care.”