Mississippi could have a new hospital next fall.
Two hospitals in the state — Covington County Hospital in Collins and South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel — are partnering up to reopen Patients' Choice Medical Center, a hospital in Raleigh that closed earlier this year. The shuttered facility made headlines after it sat vacant for three months without notifying the state's health department that it had closed, according to Mississippi Today.
Covington County Hospital and South Central Regional Medical Center are both overseen by the same CEO, Gregg Gibbes. The addition of the new hospital will continue an "already successful partnership" between his two hospitals, Magee (Miss.) General Hospital, and Mendenhall, Miss.-based Simpson General Hospital, in which the four use a shared services model through an administrative agreement, according to a recent news release.
"The best part of the story is that neighboring rural hospitals are providing the solution; not someone from out of town or out of state, who's out of touch," Mr. Gibbes said. "Our independent rural hospitals are partnering together to create a solution for a neighboring community that has a need."
The new hospital, which will reopen as Smith County Emergency Hospital, will be renovated to include a new emergency department, radiology and imaging suite, laboratory, and admissions area. The hospital is in the planning stages; physical renovations are expected to occur in 2024 with a projected opening in the fall, according to the news release.