Southern District Transportation Commissioner Tom King was in Laurel Friday morning, June 27, to present a check to the Jones County Board of Supervisors.

Doug Higginbotham and Andy Dial receive MDOT check from Tom King.

The county was awarded $322,262.00 in Federal Transportation Alternative Funds after previously applying for the beautification grant money. According to Jones County Board of Supervisors President Andy Dial, the funds will be used for a fence and landscaping project behind South Central Regional Medical Center along Interstate 59. Dial said the project will enhance the view of the hospital from the interstate and the gateway into the city.

King said the federal funds were available to government entities across the state to be specifically used on beautification projects within their communities.

Andy Dial said, “South Central Regional Medical Center Health System is the second largest employer in Jones County providing jobs for almost 2,000 area residents. The medical center has grown significantly over the years bringing quality physicians and new programs to the Jones County area so that our residents can stay at home for quality health care services. Anytime we can lend our support to the health system, we certainly want to do so.”

Design for Project

Doug Higginbotham, President and CEO of SCRMC, said, “During a strategic planning initiative last year, we secured feedback from our board members, our physicians, community leaders and our leadership about ways to enhance services at South Central. The first priority identified was the need to provide a facelift to the exterior of the building, because people tend to judge a book by its cover. We have spent the last few years building a new surgical facility, a new Intensive Care Unit and adding new diagnostic technology at South Central, but many times all people see is the exterior of the building. In response to the priority identified in the strategic planning process, we began a project a few weeks ago to paint the entire exterior of the medical center to improve the looks of the facility, but also to protect the exterior of the facility for the next 10-20 years. The fence and landscaping funds provided by this grant will enhance our medical district and make it more inviting to those seeking health care services in Jones County.”

Design for Project

Higginbotham continued saying, “We cannot thank Tom King and the Mississippi Department of Transportation enough for approving the Federal Transportation Alternative Funds for the fence and landscaping project, and we thank Andy Dial and the Jones County Board of Supervisors for their support of this project.”

South Central Regional Medical Center is a public, not-for-profit health system owned by Jones County Mississippi. The hospital opened its doors on February 1, 1952 and has grown tremendously over the years to meet the care needs of this region. SCRMC provides health care services to residents of Jones, Jasper, Wayne and Smith Counties. The health system has a 285-bed hospital, two nursing care facilities and operates over 20 medical clinics.