Construction projects updating Children’s of Mississippi care

Construction projects updating Children's of Mississippi care

The Blair E. Batson Tower, a place of healing for nearly 30 years, has been undergoing a transformation this year while the Alyce G. Clarke Center for Medically Fragile Children is nearing completion.

Renovations at the Batson Tower, built in 1997, are updating the tower to match the aesthetics and amenities of the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower at Children's of Mississippi, which opened in 2020. Work on the tower's third floor, which will be devoted to cardiac care, is nearing an end. Updates will move to other medical surgical units in 2026.

The updates in the state's only children's hospital will expand the level of care while providing all patients with the same amenities of the Sanderson Tower, said Dr. Guy Giesecke, CEO of children's and women's hospitals at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

"The Batson Tower was state-of-the-art when it opened, and so many families and caregivers have memories of the colorful 1990s decor, which was popular at the time," he said. "While the furnishings of the tower have been well cared-for, after 28 years, it is time for an update."

Patients in the Batson Tower are treated for many diseases and injuries, including cancer, neurological disorders, congenital heart disease, orthopedic surgical conditions, trauma, respiratory concerns and many other conditions.

"We want all our patients to have a space that is up-to-date and family-friendly," Giesecke said.

Dr. Nikki Cowan, director of nursing in Children's of Mississippi's medical-surgical and psychiatric units, said the changes are more than cosmetic. "We will have improved technology and communication systems," she said. "In each unit, there will also be a new staff station for the health care team. We'll also have medicine and nutrition rooms and family areas."

Laughs 4 Life and Candace and Kent Oliver are funding an activity room for the third-floor unit, which will be similar to the Laughs 4 Life Smile Room on the Batson Tower's fifth floor. That space now includes a fresh mural of a blue sky and a rainbow plus interactive NunoErin digital boards for puzzles, games and drawing thanks to Laughs 4 Life, a perennially sold-out comedy show in Hattiesburg.

Caring gifts

Batson updates have been funded through philanthropic gifts.

First to support the renovation of the inpatient units of the Batson Tower were Priscilla and David O'Donnell, who donated $1.5 million in 2023 to create a cardiac step-down and medical-surgical unit on the tower's third floor. This follows a $1 million donation from the couple in 2017 for the Priscilla and David O'Donnell Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Cardiac Wing inside the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower at Children's of Mississippi.

Joining the O'Donnells in supporting the cardiac unit is RebelTHON, an annual student-led fundraiser at the University of Mississippi that raised $300,000 to name the unit's nurses' station.

A family room for the third floor will be named for the Paul and Sherry Broadhead Foundation. Additional supporters of the renovations include the Mapp Family Foundation and the Madison Charitable Foundation, which made its gift in honor of its founder, Wiley H. Hatcher.

Hogs for a Cause, a New Orleans nonprofit, announced a $1.5 million gift in 2023 to fund renovations for the fifth-floor unit, which is dedicated to hematology and oncology. The donation was raised through the Hogs for the Cause festival in the Crescent City, which got its start in 2009, when cofounders Becker Hall and Rene Louapre hosted a pig roast to raise money to help a child with an incurable form of brain cancer. That one fundraiser became what is now one of the largest barbecue and music festivals in the country.

Dr. Jennifer Cox, professor of pediatric hematology and oncology and medical director for ambulatory clinical services at Children's of Mississippi, is also supporting the unit.

The Joseph C. Bancroft Charitable and Educational Fund is continuing its commitment to Children's of Mississippi by donating $1.5 million toward the transformation of the fourth floor, which will be named the Croft Medical Surgical Unit and serve patients with infectious diseases and respiratory concerns.

Filling a need

The project come as construction of the Center for Medically Fragile Children is approaching completion. The center, off Eastwood Drive in Jackson, will serve patients younger than 19 who need skilled care because of the complexity of their medical conditions.

Patients at the center will range from newborns who may not have been able to wean off ventilators and need an additional 60 to 90 days to adolescents 19 or younger recovering from accidents or living with conditions that require skilled nursing care.

The Center for Medically Fragile Children is filling a need in the state, said Brandy Wilson, the center's director who earlier served as nurse manager of the second- and fourth-floor medical-surgical units in the Batson Tower.

"There's definitely a need for this level of care," she said. "We've sent patients to centers in other states for this type of care, and I know children and families in Mississippi will benefit from this center."

The need for a facility for medically fragile children in the state was recognized in the late 2010s, when Children's of Mississippi had several patients with long-term complex care needs.

"For long-term residents, this will feel like a home," said Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "They won't feel like they are in a hospital, even though they will be provided with the same level of care."

The center can also be a bridge from pediatric inpatient care to home for patients and their parents.

"Parents need to be comfortable with their children's medical equipment, and troubleshooting will need to be done so they know how to handle any issues at home," Jones said. "That can take time. Alarms on equipment may not go off every day or even every week. We want parents to be comfortable in any scenario that might arise."

In 2019, the Mississippi Legislature created the Alyce G. Clarke Center for Medically Fragile Children and issued $12.5 million in bonds to the center the same year. An additional $2 million in bonds were issued in 2020.