Since North Oak Regional Medical Center in Senatobia closed in 2018, residents in Tate County have had to travel more than half an hour to Memphis or adjacent counties in cases of emergencies.
County Supervisor and Board President Tony Sandridge says it's unclear why the old hospital closed but he's excited about the new Delta Health Highland Hills Hospital.
"The old saying is you don't miss your water til' your well runs dry, well our well ran dry and we got a second opportunity. We're real excited to have our hospital open back up," said Sandridge.
Located on the same land as the former medical center, Sandridge says the hospital will offer emergency services and acute care with 12 in-patient beds and six ER beds staffed 24/7. Upgrades include a full service lab, a radiology department and a new state of the art CT scanner.
But rebuilding and outfitting the new facility wasn't easy, as some construction materials were at times hard to come by due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Josh Hammonds, Chief Administrative Officer at Highland Hills Hospital, says finding qualified staff has also been a challenge.
"When we open the doors, we'll have around 65 employees. Two of the big positions that we're struggling with that kind of surprised me are laboratory technicians and radiology technicians. So we're in desperate need of lab and radiology personnel," said Hammonds.
Hammonds says he believes Medicaid Expansion will help sustain the rural hospital and allow it to grow.
