Mississippi children’s lives, Gov. Phil Bryant says, have “literally been saved” thanks to generous gifts benefiting Batson Children’s Hospital from the professional golf tournament now known as the Sanderson Farms Championship.

“Parents come here to see miracles done for their children,” Bryant said Tuesday at the hospital as officials from Sanderson Farms, the tournament’s title sponsor, and Century Club Charities, the host organization, announced a record $1.1 million gift to Friends of Children’s Hospital, a fundraising organization for Batson.

The gift was generated from the 2014 tournament held in November at the Country Club of Jackson. Sanderson Farms stepped up to the plate as its title sponsor in 2013 at a time when Mississippi verged on losing the PGA Tour event after its previous lead sponsor bowed out.

“What Joe Sanderson did saves lives,” Bryant said of Sanderson Farms’ CEO and board chairman. “Children’s lives will forever be better because of him.”

The gift comes as Friends of Children’s Hospital is fulfilling its pledge to raise $2M to help build a pediatric heart center at Batson. The Children’s Heart Center currently occupies space at Batson, but has no bricks-and-mortar home of its own.

About 100 UMMC employee leaders are embarking on a journey to discover their strengths – and their improvement areas – in making their workplace the best it can be.

They’ll learn how to take it to the next level through the UMMC Leadership Program, a new initiative to enhance essential workplace skills and knowledge. It will better prepare managers and potential managers to carry out the Medical Center’s strategic plan, mission and values, said Dr. Helen Beady, a human resources service partner in development and management consulting. 

“It’s a paradigm shift in what we do to mentor and coach employees,” Beady said.

The program, which kicks off this month, has two parts: a year-long leadership class of 83 employees, and a six-month Leadership in Action project group with 14 members who will come up with their own projects to research and study. Participants meet monthly for two hours.

During a welcoming session for participants Wednesday, UMMC Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and School of Medicine Dean Dr. James Keeton encouraged them to get the most out of the program. “We truly are here to improve the health of Mississippians,” he said.

It’s not always easy, he said, to be a leader. “You’re going to make mistakes, but it’s not the end of the world,” Keeton said. “As a leader, not everyone is going to like you, but they can respect you.”

Although the program is new, it’s descended from LAMP, the Leading through Applied Management Principles program that originated in 2007 among UMMC’s nursing professionals.   The new version spans the Medical Center and operates through Human Resources.

The Medical Center is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff:

Medical Center faculty and staff often are recognized regionally, nationally and internationally for their academic or medical achievements. These accolades elevate the UMMC brand among health science centers worldwide.