Progress is being made on the replacement facility for the Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi in Oxford, and the completion of the initial building phase is slated for July 31. According to Baptist North Mississippi administrator and CEO Bill Henning, the project is on schedule.
The new five-story hospital will have 602,831 square feet, including 217 beds with more comprehensive medical and surgical services. However, the hospital is not waiting until the new facility is open to add services.
“We are constantly accessing the needs of the community and expanding services as we see the need,” Henning said. “For instance, we just opened a new Heartburn Treatment Center that will provide services to people suffering with GERD. Baptist is committed to offering the right care at the right time to its patients.”
Accommodating new technology and expanded services in the current facility has been a challenge at times due to space constraints, but with the space and flexibility of the new hospital, Henning feels that the facility will have the room to grow and better accommodate patients.
“In today’s healthcare we are seeing a shift to more outpatient and same-day procedures rather than the traditional multiple night stay. Therefore, the new hospital is designed with a greater emphasis on outpatient treatments,” Henning said. “This will provide an easier and more efficient visit for the short stay patient while maintaining the facilities for the longer stay patients.”
To date, the following construction has begun:
-Site work and utility installation (Began Jan. 5; expected completion July 31)
-Deep foundation piles (Began April 16; expected completion June 24)
-Concrete structure (Began May 4; expected completion March 25, 2016)
The new hospital is scheduled to begin accepting patients in December 2017.
Beth Harmon is the managing editor for HottyToddy.com. Email her at beth.harmon@hottytoddy.com
