Increased population, high enrollment rates and continued growth in local business and housing prompted Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi to build a replacement hospital between South Lamar Boulevard and Old Taylor Road.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Oxford has grown by 15.3 percent since 2010. In 2012, Forbes magazine deemed Oxford the 15th-fastest-growing small town in America.
William Henning, administrator and chief executive officer of Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi, said the replacement hospital was the most logical choice to accommodate the accelerated growth of the Oxford community.
“With the growth our area has experienced in the last decade, building a newer, updated hospital to serve the community became an easy decision,” Henning said.
The replacement hospital, Henning said, will contain the same number of beds as the current facility: 247. Although the hospital will not be increasing its bed space capacity, it will be creating a larger, more robust space.
Byron Murillo, a project assistant superintendent, explains the groundwork construction for the new Baptist Memorial Hospital- New Mississippi. (Photo by: Royce Swayze)
“We will have the space to add new services, the flexibility for future changes in patient care and the infrastructure for new technology,” Henning said.
The size of the replacement hospital will differ greatly. The new hospital will be sitting on a 150-acre campus, whereas the old building was located on a 13-acre lot. Henning said the construction of this facility is projected to cost roughly $300 million. Its primary goal is to offer a more contemporary, technologically advanced hospital with a larger space to serve the Oxford community and bring additional physicians to north Mississippi.
“Everyone wants to be in Oxford,” Henning said. “As Baptist brings more physicians and adds specialties to the area, it reduces the need for locals to travel outside of Oxford.”
According to Jondi Roberson, director of marketing and provider relations, Baptist should open its doors in December 2017.
“We are projected to take our first patients as of Dec. 1 of 2017,” Roberson said. “As far as when we will shut this hospital down, I am not sure when we will be completely out of this hospital. I assume sometime shortly thereafter.”
An official decision has not been made regarding the use of the current facility once the replacement hospital has been built.
“The current hospital is slated to be sold,” Roberson said. “However, if there is not a buyer, the contract with the city and county states that Baptist will be responsible for tearing the current hospital down for green space.”
The hospital currently provides a myriad of services, including a 24-hour emergency room, neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery and the Baptist Cancer Center. Alex Spivey, junior biology major and former Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi intern, said she hopes the replacement hospital will offer greater opportunity for student workers and interns.
“Hopefully with more space and increased technology, the replacement hospital will offer additional opportunities for students to learn,” Spivey said. “I think it’s a great learning experience and more students should have the opportunity to gain valuable experience.”
The administration and staff said they are excited about the new facility and believe the replacement hospital will provide them with the opportunity to effectively serve Oxford and the surrounding area.
“The future looks bright,” Henning said. “We are committed to providing the high quality healthcare that our community deserves.”
