$10M medical complex set to open off Hwy 57

JACKSON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) - A $10 million investment in the future of health care in Jackson County is about to make its debut. The 48,000 square foot Bienville Orthopedic Specialists Medical Park at East Lake is nearly finished. The complex, located along I-10 at Highway 57, has been in the works for years.

"We needed a new facility so we thought locating on the interstate here on I-10 would be wonderful to be able to serve Ocean Springs and Pascagoula collectively," CEO Dean Thigpen explained.

Medical care will take a giant leap forward when everything is finished, including future surgery and MRI centers. Dr. Jeff Noblin is with the group.

"Medicine is changing. We're going to try and have a lot of state of art facility here that can take care of patients from the standpoint they can come for pre-op evaluations and physical therapy after, so I think it gives us a lot of options to build for the future," Noblin said.

Another future option is more money coming in and more interest in this heavily traveled interchange. Randy Bosarge is the Jackson County supervisor that represents the area.

"It will be a great thing, not only for Jackson County, but the city of Gautier. There will be some added tax revenue coming in and hopefully some more development, commercially and residentially," Bosarge said.

While this medical office plaza represents the very latest technology, benefits for the patients and the doctors who care for them, it also represents something else. In an area that's prone to hurricanes, it's built to last, according to facilities director Christian Dose'.

"The building is rated to withstand 160 mile per hours, so all the glass that you see, the paneling, the brickwork, all of it can withstand a category five hurricane," Dose' explained.

For the employees, they can barely withstand the excitement, according to Thigpen.

"It's a wonderful brand new facility with all new desks, all new working computers and copiers. So the employees are really about having a new beautiful place to work," Thigpen said.

The new facility is scheduled to open next Monday. Once it does, the old office on Highway 90 in Ocean Springs will close.

Here are some statistics on the new complex:

• The building will house four tenants: Bienville Orthopedic Specialists, Singing River Health System, Encore Rehabilitation, Deaconess Home Health.
• It will include a rehab area (8,500 sq ft), an auditorium (1,800 sq ft), a clinic area (15,000 sq ft), and an Ambulatory Surgery Center (8,500 sq ft).
• 36 exam rooms
• Two state of the art fully automatic X-ray rooms
• Two operating rooms

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