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mviv/ new pavmon ceremonies set Friday
Hancock Medical Center, 149 Drinkwater Blvd., Bay St. Louis, will kick off its opening celebrations for the new Wo-n^n’s and Children’s Pavilion tonight with a patrons’ gala, 6-8 p.m., sponsored by the center’s foundation board. Dedication ceremonies are scheduled at 10
a.m. Friday, Sept. 25 at the pavilion.
Ceremonies will be conducted by Hal Leftwich, HMC director. Guests to take part in the ceremonies include Mark Garriga, Governor Kirk For-dice’s chief of staff; Charles R. Johnson, president of the medical center’s board of trustees; Joseph R. Lee, HMC chief of staff; and Francis Theriault, pastor of St. Rose de Lima Catholic Church.
Ceremonies will be followed by a public reception with refreshments. “Staff will be on hand to welcome guests for self-guided tours of the new facility,” said Janet McQueen, HMC community relations director. “Nursing personnel will be stationed around the pavilion to explain the uses of each area.”
HISTORY
Hancock Medical Center has served the community’s health care needs since 1960. Established under the name of Hancock General Hospital, the Dunbar Avenue facility replaced Kings Daughters Hospital, a multi-room frame structure lo-
Hancock Medical Center Historic Data
CONTRIBUTIONS
Hancock Medical Center over the last seven years has made significant and growing contributions to the community:
	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
Patient Days	10,685	9,829	10,937	12,402	13,144	17,027	16.930
ER Visits	10,085	10,967	12,901-	13,500	15,638	16,685	16,449
Deliveries	164	32	97	149	218	281	301
Average Daily Census		27.0	30.0	34.0	36.0	46.5	46.4
Average Length of Stay		4.70	4.61	4.68	4.50	4.60	4.50
Gross Revenue	$19,027,074 $22,278,233		$29,434,567	$35,778,444	$38,800,487	$52,116,583	$61,529,275
Contractual Adjustment	6,756,183	8,638,950	12,025,013	15,134,653	16,375,730	22,309,258	30,760,259
Charity Care	605,263	713,274	1,157,262	1,190,624	1,876,978	2,218,354	3,423,074
Salaries and Wages	3,930,956	4,023,702	4,760,393	5,442,872	6,144,474	7.546,273	9,274.956
Employee Benefits	1,208,292	1,220,387	1,570,024	1,858,868	2,441,800	1.992,420	3,6.!3.392
Net Operating Income	(290,025)	267,496	1,353,898	1,210,327	2,472,975	4,909,518	2,306.452
cated in downtown Bay St. Louis.
The current Drinkwater Boulevard acute care facility, constructed in 1987, is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. A major renovation in 1995 focused on the expansion of the emergency area and several ancillary departments.
The 7,500-sq.-ft. addition included. a large outpatient/ emergency department lobby, expanded respiratory, radiology, surgery and rehabilitation departments. New state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment in surgery and radiology allowed
more county residents to receive medical care locally.
An 8,000-sq.-tt. Business and Education Complex opened in 1997 to house the accounting, financial and information services departments, as well as spacious classroom available for usi; by the community.
The hospital was licensed for an additional 38 beds (for a total of 104) in 1998, and later that year opened a 49,000-sq.-ft. women’s and children’s pavilion and new intensive care unit.
An outpatient surgery registration area and expanded surgical unit were also part of the expansion project. The med-
ical center is planning the renovation of several existing departments to improve patient accessibility and convenience.
More than 100 physicians representing a broad spectrum of medical specialties make up Hancock Medical Center’s active and consulting medical staffs. Combined with the dedication of400+ professional staff members, our health care team strives to provide the highest quality medical care for the community.
For more information on the dedication ceremonies, contact
Janet McQueen, Hancock Med- ather in anticipation of dedication ceremonies of Hancock Medical
ica enter omm unity e a	an(j Children’s Pavilion Friday. Guest received a first hand look
tions at 466-3391.	.	,	,	.	,	.	,
at me iacmty that will double the hospital s size and extend its outreach services to the
community. (Echo staff photo by Randy Ponder)	‘j/n/n