History - South MS State Hospital

History of SMSH

1995	The Mississippi State Legislature, through House Bill 960, passed the enabling legislation authorizing the construction of a regional psychiatric hospital. The 50-bed acute care facility, located in Purvis, Mississippi, was slated to offer treatment and services for mentally ill adult men and women in the southern part of the state. The catchment area for this new hospital was to be Region 12, which includes Lamar, Forrest, Marion, Perry, Greene, Wayne, Jones, Covington and Jefferson Davis counties.
Summer 1998	Construction began on South Mississippi State Hospital.
May 18, 2000	South Mississippi State Hospital (SMSH) held its dedication ceremony. The administration building was named for Richard Rhoden, and the patient services building was named in honor of Senator James Bean.
June 12, 2000	SMSH received its first patient.
September 2000	SMSH opened the women’s unit.
Fall 2000	The SMSH warehouse opened.
May 2001	A groundbreaking ceremony was held to begin the construction of the Crisis Intervention Center (CIC) in Laurel.
June 14, 2001	SMSH completed its first Joint Commission (JC) survey.
June 16, 2001	SMSH received its first Joint Commission accreditation.
June 27, 2001	Friends of SMSH, Inc. was incorporated and is classified as a public charity under Section 509(a)(2).
Fall 2001	The SMSH cafeteria opened.
November 2001	SMSH converted to an all-male facility.
November 2001	SMSH received Medicare certification.
February 2002	The American Cancer Society honored SMSH for being a smoke-free facility.
December 2002	SMSH converted back to a co-ed facility.
December 2002	SMSH admitted its 1,000th patient.
March 2004	SMSH received an Askew award.
Spring 2004	Clint Ashley and Gwen Kelly graduated from the Department of Mental Health’s CPM program. CPM is a Certified Public Manager Program with Mississippi’s Department of Mental Health.
September 2004	The Crisis Intervention Center (CIC) dedication ceremony was held in Laurel, and eight beds were opened for patients.
September 20, 2004	The CIC took its first patient.
June 2005	SMSH held it’s five-year anniversary celebration.
August 30, 2005	SMSH patients and staff relocated to Mississippi State Hospital in Whitfield due to structural damage to the Purvis facility caused by Hurricane Katrina.
September 2005	SMSH returned to full operation in its recovery from Hurricane Katrina damages.
September 2006	The remaining eight beds were opened at the CIC.
June 13, 2008	SMSH held first Memory Garden ceremony.
June 17, 2010	SMSH celebrated its ten-year anniversary.
July 1, 2010	The Crisis Intervention Center (CIC) in Laurel was transferred out from under the SMSH umbrella to be operated by Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources, the Region 12 community healthcare system.
September 2010	The SMSH catchment area was increased to include Pearl River, Stone, Harrison and Hancock counties.
December 2010	The SMSH catchment area was again increased to include George and Jackson counties.
January 30, 2011	The SMSH-operated Food & Nutrition Department dissolved, and food service at the hospital was contracted to Valley Foods.
June 30, 2011	Wynona Winfield, the only director SMSH had ever known, retired, leaving the hospital under the interim direction of Clint Ashley, Clinical Services Director, and Sabrina Young, Administrative Support Director, until a new director could be named by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.
July 2011	Clint Ashley was named the second director of SMSH, effective August 1, 2011. Operation is expected to continue as it has.
August 1, 2011	Clint Ashley became the second director of SMSH.

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