Sponsored by the Mendenhall Area Chamber of Commerce
Big changes came to Simpson County on Sunday, September 7, 1958, when Simpson General Hospital (SGH) held its official open house ushering in a new modern facility to meet the needs of Mendenhall and surrounding communities.
Gov. J. P. Coleman and Lt. Gov. Carroll Gartin were in attendance where Dr. C. G. Rotenberry was master of ceremonies, as stated in the Simpson County News September 4, 1958 edition. In addition, “Harry A. Davis is the genial administrator…with more than 30 years of hospital administrative experience behind him.”
The state of the art facility cost $560,000 and was designed as a 32-bed acute care facility. Today that same building would cost approximately $7.3 million to construct with adjusted according to several internet sites.
The paper’s advertisers made it clear that SGH was a welcome addition to the area with best wishes, congratulations, free items to the first baby born, etc., blanketing the print ads. It was a hospital of and for the community.
At 66 years of age, SGH is due for a renovation. The last one in 1991 was the emergency room. A senior care geriatric behavioral unit was added in 1995 but no new structure, only reconfiguration of the bed count. Now at a count of 35 beds, 10 are designated senior care, leaving 25 to acute care.
Matthew “Zip” Windham, SGH administrative director, shared recently that a renovation and expansion has been approved with a target date to begin construction in spring 2025. “We’ve got to catch up with the times. We’ve got to get modernized – better infrastructure, bigger rooms. We want to make the beds comparable to the stays you’re going to get in Jackson.”
In a roundtable discussion with several department managers and Windham, the group discussed the beginning conversations with SGH Board of Directors to the point where the hospital is now. This group included Gwen Williams, Executive Assistant; Shelly Riley, Controller; Martha Jones, Business Office Manager; Shana Lane, RN, CPHQ, Risk Management/Quality/Infection Control/Safety Director; Teresa Windham, RN, Behavioral Health Nurse Manager; and Zip Windham.
They made it clear this new venture was not developed overnight but took years of planning. However, once all phases of the renovation are complete they all agree it will be worth the time, effort and money.
Looking ten years out, it is a justifiable expenditure. It is estimated to cost $30 million and take three years to complete. The hospital has received a $4 million Congressional Direct Spending Grant which Sen. Cyndi Hyde Smith helped obtain to get the funding started.
New construction includes a 28,200 sq. ft. expansion to accommodate replacing existing acute care rooms with 25 new modern rooms that will have private handicap bathrooms including showers, doubling the floor space to 260 sq. ft. The existing Emergency Department will be moved to the front of the hospital and modernized, adding a state of the art trauma room, ambulance portico and additional registration locations.
A comprehensive Outpatient Services unit will be built to bring radiology, laboratory and respiratory to one location, eliminating the current back and forth traversing of the hospital required of all patients. A new larger department will also be built for inpatient physical therapy.
The current hospital will also undergo renovations to the equivalent of 20,000 sq. ft. The in house ten bed geriatric behavioral unit will be remodeled. This unit typically has no fewer than eight patients at any one time and often maintains a full occupancy. The pharmacy will be expanded and the hospital lobby will be redesigned to add a gift shop. Other areas in the hospital that will see updates include the hallways, staff break room, administration offices, classrooms, and the conference room.
Windham believes this project will create at least 30 new jobs, both day and night shift.
“Like a lot of small towns getting smaller, Simpson County is one of those counties (getting smaller). One of the reasons we’ve been successful is because we’ve got employees coming in and they’re carrying that torch – that next generation. A lot of us are family. That’s our draw because we have the family atmosphere. You get to take care of grandma or pawpaw or someone you go to church with,” explained Windham.
While it has been a long road there is excitement now that they see it coming to fruition. “I’m excited for the patients. It’s going to be so much nicer. I’m really proud. I can hardly wait!” Lane commented.
