Expanding Our Reach

Before I get to today’s topic, I want to share how wonderful it was to attend Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Mississippi Burn Center at UMMC and to meet two patients who received treatment. 

Kayla Hubbard of Magee and Kenneth Clark of Waynesboro returned to the Medical Center for the ceremony just so that they could honor Dr. Juvonda Hodge and the medical team who provided exceptional care. It is a joy to witness such enthusiasm from the patients we serve, and it makes the life-changing work that we do here each day all the more inspiring.  

Now, on to today’s topic – UMMC Madison. It’s one of the most recent ways we are extending our mission to care for more Mississippians.  

As Mississippi’s only academic medical center, we must continue to be focused on our three-part mission to educate the next generation of health care providers, conduct impactful research and deliver accessible high-quality health care. Every decision we make is rooted in our mission. 

In 2019, UMMC entered a business venture with Community Health Systems at the Merit Health Madison hospital, which helped us manage emergency and critical care volume by allowing our physicians to perform procedures at the hospital based in Madison County.  

In May, we acquired the hospital and have completed our first month as UMMC Madison. By all indications, this has been a smooth transition, and we continue to work to ensure that we are serving the needs of Madison County and surrounding areas. Reports from patients have been positive, and staff who transitioned from the previous owner seem to be thrilled with their new employer. This hospital is a prime example of evolving as an institution. 

This addition will offer new opportunities for our caregivers to reach and serve more communities and patients. It also creates a community-based site for our trainees — students, residents and fellows — to learn and grow, joining our other community hospitals at UMMC Grenada and UMMC Holmes County. Our learners will benefit from experiencing health care delivery within a large hospital system and a smaller community hospital. 

UMMC Madison will increase access to our services for current and new patients across central Mississippi. It provides a vital avenue for more Mississippians to receive the expert care they deserve, closer to home.  

We will continue providing a full range of services, including emergency care, medical-surgical services, critical care, cardiology, nephrology, plastic surgery, orthopaedic surgery, general surgery, ENT, ophthalmology, hand surgery, family medicine and GI care. The hospital will operate as a true community hospital, maintaining privileges for non-UMMC community physicians alongside UMMC providers. 

We have staffed the emergency room at this hospital for several years. As our Level I trauma center and emergency room in Jackson remain extremely busy, UMMC Madison’s ER will provide another point of care, staffed by UMMC physicians, nurses and staff. Patients needing a higher level of care can be easily and seamlessly transferred to our main campus with the confidence that they remain within the UMMC system. 

Adding UMMC Madison also frees up hospital beds, imaging services and operating room space at our Jackson campus, allowing us to reserve more capacity for complex, high-acuity patients. Less complex patient care and procedures can be handled at UMMC Madison, improving efficiency systemwide and reducing duplication of services. 

UMMC Madison is a meaningful extension of our mission, providing more care, more education and more opportunities to move forward on our journey toward A Healthier Mississippi.