Construction of a new Rush hospital in Alabama is scheduled to begin in a matter of weeks.

    The Board of Directors of Rush Health Systems met recently to approve construction of a new hospital in Choctaw County, Ala.

    “We are excited that we are about to begin work on this project and we look forward to providing quality healthcare to the folks of Choctaw County and surrounding communities,” states Chuck Reece, COO. “It’s been a long time coming but we hope that people understand the mountain of regulations and other issues that had to be worked out in order for us to get to this point.”

    Donnie Smith, vice president of Human Resources and Public Relations, shares Reece’s enthusiasm.

    “We are so excited to provide healthcare to the fine people of Butler, Choctaw County and the surrounding area,” Smith said.

    The hospital will be named after its predecessor that closed in the mid 1990s, and will be located at the former Vanity Fair site in Butler. The existing building will be incorporated into the overall design of the facility.

    A local board of directors has been named to oversee operations at the new facility and will be announced within a few weeks, along with the name of the new administrator.

    The new hospital will incorporate the approximately 36,000 feet of space in the existing former VF building, along with an additional 35,000 square feet of adjoining new construction to be located on the north side of the present structure, for a total of 71,000 square feet. The existing building cannot be used for patient care but will be completely renovated to house the hospital’s kitchen, dining room, maintenance department and to serve other non-patient care needs.

    General contractor for the project will be Brasfield and Gorie, of Birmingham. Estimated cost to build and equip the new hospital is estimated to be $18 to $20 million.

    Choctaw General will have 24-hour, seven day a week emergency room and laboratory, x-ray, MRI and CT capabilities that incorporate new digital technologies, which will allow doctors to electronically transmit a patient’s X-rays and other images to anywhere in the work in a matter of minutes.

    Plans also include a lighted helipad where helicopter “ambulances” can land at any hour of the day or night with a paved walkway to and from the hospital for transferring patients.

    In addition to the healthcare benefits to the community, which has been without a hospital or 24 hour emergency room for more than 15 years – the new facility will offer jobs for more than 100 to 120 nurses, lab techs, support personnel, clerical staff, cafeteria workers and others with an annual economic impact of between $10 and $12 million.

    Another plan for the hospital is for it to function as a “swing bed” facility for patients who are discharged from larger hospitals but still need a few days of recuperation time in a small facility closer to home.

    The hospital will also work with local providers to offer a wide range of full in-patient and some out-patient rehabilitation services, such as physical and occupational health, speech therapy, and programs for persons with dementia and early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

    A large room will be constructed in the existing Vanity Fair building for use as public education classes.

    “You know, a major basic requirement of the new healthcare reform act is that healthcare providers educate the public on chronic illnesses,” Reece said. This could include classes on how to manage diabetes and other illnesses.”

    Rush currently operates two clinics in Choctaw county, one in Gilbertown, staffed by Dr. Lee Armistead and one in Butler, staffed by Dr. Bernita Mims, both of which will continue to operate independently and see patients on a daily basis.

    “The bottom line is, we wouldn’t be coming to Choctaw County and making such a substantial financial investment if we didn’t believe it was good for the community and good for us,” Reece said. “And I’d just like to say to those who may have thought it would never happen, that day is here and we are as excited about this as we hope the people in Choctaw County are.”

    Rush Health Systems is headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi with healthcare facilities in East Mississippi and West Alabama. The organization includes Rush Foundation Hospital; Specialty Hospital of Meridian; Medical Foundation Inc.; Rush Medical Group; Laird Hospital, Union; H.C. Watkins Hospital in Quitman; Scott Regional Hospital in Morton; and John C. Stennis Memorial Hospital, DeKalb.