Barry Pettit, Amy Ivy, Hope Cole, Brenda White, Alicia Cole

Meridian-Based Health System Opens First Hospital in Kemper County

MERIDIAN—Rush Health System recently opened the new $13.6 million John C. Stennis Memorial Hospital in DeKalb, with a grand opening slated for May 14. The 25-bed critical access hospital, which has been under construction since last May, is the first hospital in growing Kemper County. 

“We’re dedicated to providing healthcare to the citizens of Kemper County and surrounding areas, as we have in other communities,” said Chuck Reese, executive vice president of Rush Health Systems.

A division of Rush, the new 45,000-square-foot community hospital provides inpatient care, swing bed care, inpatient rehabilitation, emergency care, lab work, an intensive outpatient program, and other high-tech services, such as radiology via x-ray and CT scan, and a helipad. It represents the sixth hospital for Rush Health Systems, which also has Rush Foundation Hospital, The Specialty Hospital of Meridian, Laird Hospital, Rush Medical Group, Medical Foundation Inc., Rush Home Care, H.C. Watkins  Memorial Hospital and J.G. Alexander Nursing Center. Rush Medical Foundation, an affiliate of Rush Health Systems Inc., is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1947. 

 “Rush is excited about providing a much-needed service for the Kemper County area,” said Fred Rogers, vice president, chief resource officer and facility manager for Rush Health Systems.

The new Rush hospital is named in honor of longtime U.S. Senator John C. Stennis, whom Rogers described as “a real gentleman.”

“We feel like it was an honor and a tribute for the hospital to be named after him,” he said, “since he made such an impact not only in DeKalb, but also in the state of Mississippi.”

First year revenues are estimated at $5 million, with a payer mix of 46 percent Medicare, 31 percent Medicaid, 11 percent commercial, and 12 percent self-pay. Rush will allocate 6 percent of gross revenue the first year, and 7 percent the second year to care for medically indigent patients. The same amount of care will be allocated for charity patients. Third year revenue projections top $10 million, according to certificate of need documentation.

Jason Payne, administrator of the John C. Stennis Memorial Hospital, said the hospital, which created 88 full-time jobs, will serve an important function in the life of the community.

“Our (full-service) cafeteria will be open for our patients and their visitors and will also serve the public for breakfast and lunch,” he said. “We’ll have seating for approximately 100, with a community room with space for meetings. We’re excited about being part of the community as health providers and active as community leaders.”

Brian Henson, executive director of the Kemper County Economic Development Authority, said the hospital project in DeKalb came about simply because “we didn’t have a facility and actually one of the first things we looked at was just (an) emergency facility … (and a) common triage facility.”

“As we got to talking … Rush made contact with us and was interested in possibly building a hospital,” Henson told The Meridian Star, noting that various agencies collaborated on propelling the project forward, including the Kemper County Board of Supervisors, mayors of DeKalb and Scooba, East Mississippi Community College and various civic groups. “It's very humbling from my standpoint to see a community come together like they did for this. This is a hospital that the people cannot just be thankful they've got; they can feel some sense of ownership.”

Mississippi lawmakers approved the need for the DeKalb hospital project and naming it in honor of Stennis during the 2007 legislative session via Senate Bill 2764. The Mississippi State Department of Health approved the certificate of need in December 2008. The Division of Medicaid opposed it.

Economic developers are hopeful the new hospital, located on a 20-acre site, will attract a medical park with doctors’ offices and clinics and possibly a wellness facility. Henson stressed the long-term benefits of the hospital, in addition to an economic impact of $10 million annually in the community.

“The John C. Stennis Memorial Hospital will provide the citizens of Kemper County with quality healthcare for many years to come, adding much-needed quality of life,” he said. “This quality of life will also aid in our efforts to recruit new industries and expand existing ones while creating direct economic impact with the addition of new jobs for our area.”

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