Barnes Healthcare was started in 1909 by Mr. Barnes’ grandfather. Charles W. Barnes Sr. was a pharmacist and founded the retail pharmacy located in Valdosta, Georgia where he and his wife operated the family business. Mr. Barnes’ father Charles W. Barnes Jr., also a pharmacist, took over the business in December of 1945. It was a typical retail pharmacy of the era with over-the-counter drugs, a soda fountain, greeting cards, etc. In 1946, he started the HME business with oxygen, wheelchairs, and hospital beds.
Charlie W. Barnes III, also a pharmacist, received an undergraduate degree in Business with a Major in Accounting from Emory University (1964 to 1968). He graduated from the University of Georgia Pharmacy School in 1975 and was licensed as a pharmacist on March 15, 1976. He assumed the leadership of Barnes Healthcare Services in 1976. He expanded into the infusion business in 1983 and into the rehab business in 1988. In 1992 he opened the first office outside of Valdosta in Tallahassee, Florida.
Mr. Barnes proudly served in the Army during the Vietnam war (1968 to 1972) as a helicopter pilot achieving the rank of Captain. He was stationed in Vietnam from 1971 to 1972.