HATTIESBURG, Miss. – (February 27, 2025) Twelve years after Forrest Health opened the doors at The Orthopedic Institute, officials have broken ground on an expansion that will add approximately 12,000 square feet to the facility that treats the orthopedic needs of patients in South Mississippi. At the conclusion of the project, The Orthopedic Institute will have 93,000-square-feet dedicated to exceptional orthopedic care.
The groundbreaking on Thursday, February 27, makes way for an additional six operating rooms, as well as expansion of Support Space and Central Sterile. This addition is being constructed on the south side of the facility adjacent to the existing operating room suite, and will bring the number of orthopedic operating rooms to 12. During the construction, renovations and upgrades will be made to the existing operating rooms, modifications made to Central Sterile and additional pre/post-op spaces to accommodate the additional operating room capacity.
“The Orthopedic Institute has developed a reputation for providing exceptional orthopedic surgical care and has grown to maximum capacity,” said Steve Jackson, Forrest Health vice president. “Additionally, the aging of our population is increasing the demand for orthopedic services. The Orthopedic Institute is growing to meet this increasing demand to ensure patients can access our services for years to come.”
During Fiscal Year 2024, physicians at TOI conducted 3,340 surgical procedures. Since opening in October 2012, more than 36,000 surgeries have been performed at the facility.
Jackson said as the population ages, medical professionals are seeing a need for more orthopedic procedures. The Arthritis Foundation says the demand for joint replacements is expected to rise during the next decade. They predict total hip replacements in the United States to increase 171 percent by 2030, while knee replacements could reach 1.28 million, an increase of 189 percent. The number of patients under 65, the GenX and Millennial populations, undergoing joint replacements has surged by nearly 200 percent during the past two decades. The American Academy of Orthopedics predicts that by 2030, that same age group will account for more than half of hip replacements and more than 60 percent of knee replacements, many caused by active lifestyles or obesity.
Forrest General Chaplain, Jon Kittrell, read Matthew 7:24-25 about the wise man who built his house upon the rocks.
“The current building spot has a lot of clay,” said Forrest Health interim president/CEO, Jeff Cook, referencing the passage Kittrell read, noting that contractors have had to dig down about 30-plus feet to find rock, “but we’re going to pile in and find that rock.”
Applauding the partnership of the orthopedic groups at Southern Bone & Joint and Hattiesburg Clinic, Cook said they have been “instrumental and critical for the success of this place. The Orthopedic Institute is really unique, one of a kind. It’s a hospital that can accommodate both inpatient and outpatient surgeries, and it is one of the few in the region, at one time it was the only one in the region.”
Cook said The Orthopedic Institute is very patient-centric with all aspects of a patient’s care, from the minute you enter the door. “It’s something that without the physicians’ buy-in, without our staff’s buy-in, and really, without our leadership’s buy-in, it doesn’t exist for a community our size. So, it’s something to be very proud of, especially when you are looking 11 or 12 years after it opened to be expanding by six ORs it tells you what kind of success we’ve had. I’m excited to share this moment with you. Thank you to those who have made it happen with your previous decisions.”
Cook thanked the Forrest Health Board of Trustees for their wisdom and thought in letting this process reach this point; Steve Jackson and his team at TOI for acknowledging and seeing there was a need and seeing these services grow. He thanked Southern Bone & Joint and Hattiesburg Clinic for their partnership, “because without you guys, it’s really impossible,” and the Forrest County Board of Supervisors “for always being willing to partner with us. This is a very exciting time with lots of hands in it. Thanks to all of you.”
The Orthopedic Institute broke ground in May 2011 and opened in October 2012 after a one-and-a-half year building project. TOI was a joint venture between Forrest General Hospital and Southern Bone and Joint Specialists, P.A. and combined the latest technology, expert physicians and staff, and the added convenience of a satellite facility in delivering advanced orthopedic care.
TOI involved the relocation of 30 existing orthopedic beds from Forrest General’s main campus to the site on Veterans Memorial Drive. The goal of The Orthopedic Institute was and continues to be to provide specifically-tailored orthopedic care in the most technologically advanced facility in the region.
The inaugural project for the facility included more than 67,000 square feet of construction at a cost of more than $30 million. In addition to the 30 licensed orthopedic beds, the facility includes orthopedic operating rooms, pre-operative and recovery rooms, as well as support services such as physical and occupational therapy, laboratory and diagnostic imaging services.
TOI provides the convenience of having everything an orthopedic patient might need in one place – dedicated orthopedic operating rooms, pre-operative rooms, a Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), all with state-of-the-art equipment and technology. However, this technology is only enhanced by the outstanding physicians and staff members who provide care and create positive patient experiences each day.
There are also support services such as laboratory and diagnostic imaging services. Rehabilitation can also be done at TOI with specialized therapists. Joint Camp, a physical therapy program dedicated to the evaluation and recovery of joint replacement patients, is provided in a spacious, highly-equipped room centrally located to all patient rooms.
Unique features include custom-designed patient rooms with wider doorways, beds and chairs designed for orthopedic patients, more space for family and belongings, windows for natural lights and elegant decorative touches that make it feel more like home. Other amenities in this modern facility include convenient parking and a cafeteria.
The Orthopedic Institute is located at 27 Southern Pointe Parkway, Hattiesburg, off Memorial Boulevard.
For more information, visit www.forresthealth.org/OI
