Mississippi Burn Center Expands to Meet Crucial Need in the Southeast

posted on December 22, 2011 at 2:41 pm

The Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Crossgates River Oaks Hospital in Brandon, Miss., fills a vital need: The center is the only inpatient burn facility in the state. Since 2009, the center has provided a full spectrum of burn care to residents throughout Mississippi.

Expanding to meet growing needs

Recently, the center underwent a $2 million expansion to accommodate the increasing demand from surrounding areas and across the state. The center added six ICU beds and nine step-down beds for burn victims, allowing the facility to handle more serious burn cases with greater efficiency. In addition, the hospital operates an outpatient burn clinic to treat less severe burns, which can average 400 patients per month.

“The burn center has been a remarkable success,” said Dr. William Lineaweaver, the center’s Medical Director. “We are able to provide acute care for burned patients, as well as provide reconstructive surgery over the course of burn recovery, which can take years. Our central location makes us easily available to all Mississippi residents.”

Making a difference in Mississippi

Currently, the center admits one or two patients a day for burn injuries. “We are expecting admissions to increase from 400 to 600 over the next year, so the addition to the burn center was necessary – we had outgrown our capacity,” said J. Allen Tyra, CEO of Crossgates River Oaks Hospital. The center had more than 1,100 surgical cases over the last year, and that number is also expected to rise.

In order to accommodate the center’s growth, the hospital hired a number of new Associates to work in the center, from new graduates to veteran nurses. “Hiring seasoned nurses was essential for opening these units,” said Jacque Sullins, CNO of Crossgates River Oaks. “We also chose to hire a very select few newer nurses to begin the training process in learning burn care nursing. This strategy has been very successful in building a highly competent, dedicated, motivated and compassionate burn care team contributing to sustained excellence in patient outcomes.”

“This expansion allows us to provide exceptional care to numerous patients in our community, across Mississippi and the Southeast,” said J. Allen. “We are proud to be able to make such an important difference in the lives of so many.”