Freeman's role in the aftermath of the 2011 Joplin tornado was crucial to the community, treating more than 1700 injured patients, more than half within the first day. The hospital only narrowly escaped the almost mile-wide path of complete destruction across the southern half of the city, being just six blocks south of the storm-ravaged St. John's Regional Medical Center (now known as Mercy Hospital Joplin). Freeman itself sustained some damage to its facilities, losing a portion of its roof. Following its competitor's nearby relocation and reconstruction, the two hospitals are now more than a mile apart.