Singing River Medical Park
By KARA KIMBROUGH
PASCAGOULA
A new decade will bring a $20 million medical facility to Pascagoula that will create 30 new jobs and provide patients with advanced outpatient, rehabilitation and wellness services.
Officials at Singing River Health Services held a ceremonial “dirt dumping Nov. 5 to signify the beginning of construction on the 70,000-square-foot Singing River Medical Park, scheduled for completion in 2011.
Set to be built on the Singing River Hospital campus, the medical park will serve as a stand-alone, dedicated outpatient facility. Plans call for The Neuroscience Center, a medical laboratory, outpatient imaging services, cardiac rehabilitation, physical therapy and the Healthplex medical wellness center to be part of the medical park, said Chris Anderson, SRHS chief executive officer.
“Singing River Medical Park was designed specifically to meet the needs of outpatients, and to provide a space where treatment, preventive and lifestyle improvement services are located together,” Anderson said. “This will allow patients to access multiple services in a convenient and coordinated manner. And, it will take a significant amount of stress off of the hospital. Other benefits are improved access, parking and service for all of the patients that use both hospital services and the services in this medical office park.”
Anderson said all of the services planned for Singing River Medical Park with the exception of the HealthPlex medical wellness center are currently available in one or both of SRHS’s hospitals. Cardiac rehab, physical therapy, and outpatient imaging services are all being moved from Singing River Hospital into Singing River Medical Park. A medical lab will be located in both in the Medical Park and the hospital, he said.
Anderson added that The Neuroscience Center is currently spread between many physicians' offices and the hospital. The addition of Singing River Medical Park will combine all neuroscience services under one roof. Officials are anticipating additional benefits to patients from the HealthPlex, which will be unique to this area and to other medical centers around the United States, he said.
The project is part of a concerted effort to provide a broad spectrum of facilities and services to meet the needs of a growing, diverse patient base, Anderson said.
"Our Health System and communities are growing together, and as our communities grow, we will continue to adapt to meet their needs," Anderson added. "We're trying to grow in ways that make health care more convenient and accessible to our patients. For example, our recent projects like the Ocean Springs Medical Park, and now the Singing River Medical Park, have been outpatient-focused. We're taking our care out into the communities, so it's not just hospital-based any more."
Widespread support from area leaders helped bring this latest project to fruition, Anderson said. Present at the ceremony were Kay Kell, Pascagoula city manager; George Freeland, Jackson County economic development executive director; and Manly Barton, Jackson County board of supervisors president.
"We've had great support from everybody on this project," Anderson said. "City and county officials have been involved with us from the very beginning of this project and have been especially helpful as we've worked through the process of planning and permitting."
With 150,000 to 200,000 annual visits to the facility predicted, the Medical Park may also improve the community’s health, officials say.
According to a recent Community Health Needs Assessment survey conducted by Singing River Health System, three-quarters of the area is overweight, and only a small percentage of respondents reported taking steps to alter their state. The survey showed that 38 percent of respondents are obese; the state obesity rate is 33 percent. The Healthplex medical wellness center will aid in the fight against this staggering statistic.
In addition to improving the quality of life in the community by delivering world-class health care and wellness services, Singing River Medical Park will have a significant economic impact on the community.
SRHS pumps “hundreds of millions of dollars” into the local economy each year, Anderson said. The healthcare system is the second largest employer in the area, treats more than 100,000 patients in the two hospital emergency departments annually, cares for more than 18,000 inpatients each year and will celebrate the birth of 2,000 babies in 2009.
Freeland said his role in economic development gives his a firm understanding and appreciation of Singing River Health System’s economic impact on the community.
“This facility in and of itself represents a $20 million capital investment,” Freeland said. “It will create 30 new jobs and will inevitable improve the livability of our community, and will further the revitalization of Jackson County.”
Local contractor Fletcher Construction has been awarded the job, which will require an estimated 150 construction workers during the project. Once open, an anticipated 25 to 30 new jobs may be created within the facility.
Hospital officials say the premier medical wellness facility may improve efforts to recruit physicians, executives, and even businesses, to the area. In addition, it is anticipated that the investment will contribute to the city of Pascagoula’s revitalization efforts and long-term growth plans.
“As we in the Health System have watched our community’s renewed commitment over the past four years to be something better than it was before, and really to be something very, very special, we’ve made a renewed commitment, not just to be a part of that, but to be a part of leading it,” Anderson said.