Officials breathe sigh of relief over center

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July 2, 2009

By Brian Livingston / staff writer The Meridian Star Thu Jul 02, 2009, 08:44 PM CDT

When the Firefighter's Memorial Burn Center in Greenville closed down in mid-2005 because of budget and staffing shortfalls, a low rumble could be heard like far off thunder from fire officials in the state.

This week, with the official announcement Mississippi was getting a privately owned, self-supporting burn center in Brandon, those same fire officials breathed a sigh of relief.

"This provides us with a huge peace of mind," said Meridian Fire Department Chief Jeff Homan who is also president of the Mississippi Fire Chiefs Association and the Mississippi state director, Southeastern Division, International Fire Chiefs Association.

"The fire services in Mississippi have for a year and a half been trying to get a burn center back in the state for the welfare of our residents. It is also a great relief for my people, the firefighters who serve Meridian, that they will have a close place to go if they are hurt fighting fires," Homan said.

The Brandon facility, which will be named the Joseph M. Still Burn and Reconstructive Centers Inc. at Crossgates River Oaks Hospital, developed from the outpatient burn clinic that opened at Crossgates River Oaks in March 2008. It will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Homan said the facility, which will initially take up to 15 patients, will open its doors Monday and have an official ribbon cutting Friday, July 10.

Homan had nothing but praise for Dr. R. Fred Mullins, medical director of Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga. The Augusta facility, complete with treatment and research divisions, is a 59-bed unit that admits more than 3,000 patients each year from several southern states. Homan said approximately 177 burn patients from Mississippi were treated there last year. But that will of course change now that the Brandon location is set to receive patients.

"It's an eight hour drive to Augusta," Homan pointed out. "Whenever someone is recuperating from severe burns it is equally important to have friends and family there for mental support. That long drive just placed a huge burden on families."

With the Brandon location an hour's drive from Meridian, more and more families will be able to be with their loved ones without incurring a great deal of financial hardship. There are also plans for a cottage to be purchased so families can stay overnight without having to secure a hotel room.

"The evolution of the center was the plan from the beginning; it just happened much sooner than we thought it would," said Mullins during the press conference this week. "You have to take baby steps. We'll expand this center as we need to."

One of the biggest pluses to the entire center and how it came about, said Homan, was the fact the state Legislature won't have a hand in the funding aspect. It was a real fear for state fire officials like Homan that they would have to worry about budget cuts that would affect the level of care at the facility. As it is, the self-sufficient center will be able to sustain itself.

"Dr. Mullins already had a clinic in the state and he has seen the demand we have for this type of facility," Homan said. "We are our own worst enemies when it comes to hurting ourselves so there will always be a demand here for his services."

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