New medical nursing unit and addition opens at Hancock Medical Center

Hancock Medical celebrated a new 10,000-square foot Swing Building addition and a reconstructed Medical Nursing Unit on Thursday, Feb. 9, nearly one year after the hospital’s FEMA Restoration and Mitigation Project began in February 2011.

“It’s the first of many exciting days to come in Hancock County’s reconstructed state-of-the-art medical center,” said interim Administrator Joyce Hein. “These first completed areas of phase one will give everyone a vision of what the entire hospital will look like when all five phases of the project are complete.”

The new addition and the reconstructed Medical Nursing Unit were finished on schedule and conclude Phase I of the five phase reconstruction project scheduled to be completed in 2014. Roy Anderson Corp is the general contractor for the project.

J. Larry Ladner, President of the Hancock Medical Board of Trustees, praised the work in phase one and said he looks forward to future accomplishments.

“We have the best doctors and health care professionals of any community our size in the United States,” Ladner said. “And now our facilities are on their way to being second to none.”

All hospital services are available and will not be interrupted during the construction. Departments will take turns occupying the new space in the Swing Building addition as current areas on the first floor of the hospital are reconstructed.

In addition to the reconstructed Medical Nursing Unit and the new Swing Building addition, the North generator at the hospital was changed out and elevated. The hospital’s Chiller Plant was relocated and new air handlers were installed for the overall efficiency of the hospital heating, cooling and ventilation systems.

“Everyone is working really hard and deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the work completed in Phase I,” said Facility Services Director Hank Wheeler.

Wheeler said Phase II begins immediately and will last eight months. This second phase of the project will reconstruct many service areas of the hospital including the Emergency Room, the Imaging Department, the Intensive Care Unit and Obstetrics.

New hospital signage will be in place as departments move areas during reconstruction. The public can call 228-467-8600 if they have questions about service locations prior to a visit to Hancock Medical.