As the newest development of what Area Development Partnership president Chad Newell called “another awesome day to celebrate the ‘Burg’s booming,” officials from William Carey University recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the upcoming Institute of Primary Care as part of the school’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held December 5 in front of Mary Ross Hall on the Hattiesburg campus, near the intersection of William Carey Parkway and Tuscan Avenue. The upcoming facility is made possible by a recent $20 million infrastructure grant to AccelerateMS – which aims to develop and deploy workforce strategies to connect individuals with careers – and is expected to increase the number of primary care physicians in rural and underserved areas in Mississippi and the Gulf South.
“The healthcare sector means so much to Greater Hattiesburg,” Newell said. “The economy is humming, and healthcare is absolutely a huge part of that.
“We have (more than) 11,000 health care employees in Greater Hattiesburg, generating about $800 million in payroll – that’s a large economic impact. That comprises about 16 percent of our total employed workforce. Almost one in every five or six people out here are … employed in the health care sector, and that’s absolutely amazing.”
The upcoming IPC, which will be built on the site of the current Mary Ross Hall, will train student doctors and primary care physicians, help community physicians advance their training and certifications, and provide an education space for advancements related to primary care. The facility will feature a large, state-of-the-art osteopathic manipulative medicine lab and a point-of-care ultrasound skills lab, along with an innovative skills simulation center and a large conference room for continuing medical education events.
Construction on the building is expected to last approximately two years.
“This is such a momentous occasion – let us rejoice and be glad, for this is the day the world has made,” said Dr. Italo Subbarao, dean of the WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine. “The Institute of Primary Care represents a singular investment that will have generational benefit for all Mississippians.
“(This is) an investment in health care that acknowledges the need for training and keeping more primary care physicians and health care providers in Mississippi, which are key to better health care.”
The upcoming facility will feature an estimated 60,000 square feet of additional space, making up the largest osteopathic medicine laboratory in the South. It will offer an innovative simulation lab that will allow students and staff to focus on obstetrics and pediatrics.
“It will include a large number of clinical rooms for patient encounters,” Subbarao said. “It will house a conference center that we envision will bring together health care industry, along with local health care providers, to exchange ideas and develop health care solutions for Mississippi.
“The facility will also house two large, immersive modular classrooms that will allow for a variety of educational opportunities.”
The $20 million Mississippi Health Sciences Training Infrastructure Grant funds were allocated from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund program, which is part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. AccelerateMS is responsible for the management, oversight, and monitoring of the funds.
“I hope you (all) lean into the magnitude of this event, because the William Carey story is one in lockstep with its stated motto of ‘Expecting Great Things From God and Attempting Great Things For God,’” Mayor Toby Barker said. “I know that you all agree that we can’t truly do this moment justice without remembering the leadership of (former WCU president) Tommy King, (who recently passed away), who took the risk and attempted the great thing, and along with so many in those early days, made it happen.
“William Carey swings for the fences. We as a community … proudly celebrate this day with William Carey.”
