The Vein Institute cut the ribbon on its new Meridian location Wednesday in the Meridian Crossroads Shopping Center. Photo by Thomas Howard

East Mississippi residents have new healthcare options for treating vein conditions after the Vein Institute cut the ribbon Wednesday on its Meridian location. The clinic offers a variety of procedures and services to diagnose and treat a variety of vein concerns.

 

“We found a way to kind of crack the code to make it easy, so you don’t feel like you go into a stuffy doctor’s office, waiting two hours to see somebody and then have a workup that takes six months,” Dr. J. Keith Thompson, medical director and physician for the Vein Institute, said. “So we’ve made it easy.”

 

Meridian is the third location for the Vein Institute, which also has offices in Hattiesburg and D’Iberville, but coming to the Queen City has been a vision for some time, Thompson said. A native of Union, Meridian was the “big city,” a special place to do holiday shopping and visit for other large events.

 

“Meridian, for us, has always been dear,” he said. “Even though we don’t live here directly, we’ve always wanted to find a way to plug back into the community.”

 

The Vein Institute has also had numerous requests to bring its services to the East Mississippi region, with patients traveling from Neshoba and Newton counties, Meridian, Quitman and the surrounding area, Thompson said, which also helped spur the opening of a third clinic.

 

Helen Sims, membership coordinator for the East Mississippi Business Development District, said seeing people come to Meridian and invest in the community is a testament to all the good that is happening around town.

 

“It’s just another good sign of all that is happening in our city, and we just really appreciate outside people coming in and deciding to invest in us,” she said.

 

Community Development Director Craig Hitt also welcomed the Vein Institute and said the city of Meridian is there to assist in any way it can.

 

“We ask you to call on us at any time. If you have any needs that we can fill, we’ll be happy to work with you in any way we can,” he said. “Mostly, we thank you for your investment and your service to our people here in Meridian.”

 

The Vein Institute is located in the Meridian Crossroads Shopping Center, 103 S. Frontage Rd., next to Crumbl Cookies. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.