Family Medicine doctors in Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Niceville, Navarre near Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field at White-Wilson Medical Center

White-Wilson Medical Center has been providing quality health care along the Emerald Coast for over 70 years. It is our honor to care for this community, and for you and your family.

White-Wilson offers family medicine at four convenient locations, in Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Navarre and Niceville. With approximately a dozen family medicine providers, White-Wilson provides access to quality health care for the whole family. White-Wilson providers all share one electronic medical record, which allows our providers to collaborate for your good health.

White-Wilson's Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Niceville primary care clinicians have been recognized by the National Committee of Quality Assurance as a Patient Centered Medical Home. This distinction validates White-Wilson's longstanding commitment to providing the highest quality health care available. We are also proud to be named the Finest Medical Specialists on the Emerald Coast and the Best Medical Center in Destin.

Family Medicine

When it comes to health care, the most important thing you can do for you and your family is to see your doctor for a wellness exam at least once a year. The person most appropriate to see for general wellness checks is your family medicine physician. Family medicine physicians (also known as family practice physicians, family doctors or general practice doctors) are qualified to provide care to patients of all ages.

In addition to preventive care, your family physician takes an authoritative role in monitoring and treating your overall physical health, including urgent sickness. Family physicians also monitor your mental and emotional well-being and incorporate those assessments into providing comprehensive care.

If you are unable to get in with your White-Wilson family medicine doctor right away, White-Wilson offers immediate care Clinics in four locations and we are available seven days a week in Fort Walton for any urgent care needs. Your White-Wilson Immediate Care provider can access your electronic medical record, allowing them to provide you with more comprehensive care.

What is Family Medicine?

Family medicine is a unique field of medicine (sometimes referred to as general practice) in which a physician monitors, advises, and provides treatments or referrals to patients in a variety of areas in an effort to facilitate constant patient care. The field and practice of family medicine is based on several medical disciplines.

The Tenets of Family Medicine

Family medicine incorporates several sciences into its scope including:

Biological
Clinical
Behavioral

Family physicians use other comprehensive skills in the constant care of patients of all ages, genders, and medical backgrounds.

Why Have a Family Medical Care Provider?

While many feel there is a lot of crossover between family medicine and immediate or urgent care, it is important to realize that family physicians and immediate care providers play very distinct roles in the field of healthcare and that it is important that you have a physician who you can refer to as your regular doctor.

Immediate care providers specialize in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating injuries and ailments; while family medicine physicians also have expertise in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating injuries, they also perform a variety of other functions.

Unlike immediate care providers, family physicians develop an intimate knowledge and understanding of patients over a prolonged period of providing health care services. The relationship between the provider and patient is a valued, nurtured, and maintained, which helps distinguishes family medicine from immediate or urgent care.

Family physicians get to know patients on a psychological, biological, and emotional level meaning they can provide treatment and referrals for specialized services in a variety of specialties such as:

Obstetrics and gynecological
Orthopaedics and physical therapy
Psychology and psychiatry

Even when providing referrals, family physicians remain the primary coordinator of the patient's health care. Their continued oversight is integral in the prevention of fragmented care in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Your family physician acts as your health care advocate and representative in corresponding with other medical professionals.

Family Medical Care is about the Family

Family physicians generally see one or more members of a family and will thus provide care in the context of the patient's family. As a member of a family, you realize how valuable your relationship with one another is, which is why it is so important to be proactive about your and your family members' overall health.

Have you scheduled your annual wellness visit? Annual wellness visits with your White-Wilson primary care physician can help prevent disease and keep your health on the right track. Please remember to bring your current medications to all your appointments. This will help ensure your patient information is up to date and your medications are refilled when you need them.