The Choctaw Plaindealer

Progress is the word used to describe what the Choctaw County Medical Center is doing, but the word alone is an understatement for what is actually taking place at the hospital.

Since the hospital opened nearly two years ago, it continues to grow in leaps and bounds according to President of Brandywine Health Services, Jeff Morris and Hospital Administrator, Tammy Jones.

CCMC is currently in the progress of bring in several new additions to the hospital, including a Geriatric Psychiatric Unit, Alzheimer Patient Care Facility and upgrading the existing radiology services offered, by adding a CAT Scan machine, ultrasound machine and bone density testing services. According to Morris the Geriatric Psych unit should be in operation by December and the Alzheimer facility opened in March of 2006.

The additions to the radiology clinic will help staff at CCMC better evaluate patients and decide upon treatment methods needed for patients. The tests conducted in a radiology lab help doctors determine what is going on inside a patient, when no external causes are found.

"Radiology is the primary tool that physicians use to determine what is going on with a patient," said Morris. "With the additions in radiology physicians will be able to evaluate patients better."

Jones is ready for the additional services to be completed because she feels each one will meet the needs of a variety of patients.

"Each service that will be added to the hospital is needed," said Jones. "The services cover a wide range of health care needs for the variety of health care needs in Choctaw County."

Once each of the additions is completed the hospital will employ approximately 60 additional employees along with the 155 that are already employed by the CCMC.

Extending Care

The Alzheimer facility will bring Choctaw County a type of service that is not available in any nearby medical centers. Jones feels that the facility will really be a positive addition for the hospital for that very reason.

"There are not any nearby locations that offer the type of care the Alzheimer facility will provide to patients," she said. "It will be a nice addition to Choctaw County and give us the resources we need to provide patient specific care."

The hospital already contains a highly developed lab that exceeds most labs located within nearby hospitals. Tests can be run in the lab that tell Doctors exactly what is wrong with a patient in matter of minutes. In emergency care having this type of testing may make the difference in saving a patients life.

"It is vital to have a sufficient lab when offering emergency care," said Morris. "This hospital is capable of running tests that provide the staff here with information that can make the difference in saving a patients life."

Additional growth of the hospital will take place in Mathiston, where Morris plans to open a health care clinic similar to the one already located in Weir. The clinic will be located on the Choctaw County line, but within the Mathiston city limits on Hwy 15. The clinic should be up and running before the end of 2006.

Sprucing up all around

The hospital is not the only medical center receiving special attention, the Choctaw County Nursing Center is also preparing to take undergo renovations. The Nursing Center received a Limited Population and Small Counties grant for $ 150,000 to install a much needed sprinkler system.

The Choctaw County Board of Supervisors will be working with Nursing Center on the project to install the sprinkler system. The Supervisors will accept bids on the project during the month of November.

Morris says there are currently plans to undergo major cosmetic renovations for the Nursing Center, including each resident room, put in new showers and whirlpools, and eventually add an additional wing to the structure.

"Renovating the Nursing Center will help it increase the number of residents it can accommodate," said Morris. "Also it will make the Nursing Center a more desirable to potential residents."

Rebuilding with a purpose

While Morris has been largely involved with reopening the hospital and bringing in new additions, he has not been alone and he gives much of the credit to the ready and willing staff of CCMC.

According to Morris, once the word spread that the hospital would be reopening he was amazed at the amount of people who stepped forward to help get the hospital up and running again.

"In the very beginning I was approached by people claiming they used to work here before the hospital closed and they told me if the hospital was going to reopen they wanted to be involved," said Morris. "A large number of the hospital staff were right here working beside me when we going through the renovation process that had to occur before we could reopen the doors as a functional hospital."

It was obvious to Morris that the community wanted and needed a hospital before he spoke to former staff, but after witnessing their efforts to reopen the facility and the dedication they continue to show as hospital staff.

He believes that the staff at CCMC and CCNC make each facility a top of line medical center, not because of the services offered but because of the way the staff provide the services. For the staff it is more than a job or a position they hold, it is providing quality care to patients in need of care.

" I feel like patients should be treated the right way," said Morris. "When I say the right way I mean treated like I or any other person would want to be treated. If I was sick I would want to be right here because I have seen how well the patients are cared for here."