Published: January 29, 2010 08:49 am      

Dawson: MJMH can be the best little hospital

Newly hired Montfort Jones Memorial Hospital Administrator John Dawson had been on the job roughly two weeks when he addressed the Attala County Board of Supervisors during the Friday morning meeting at the Attala County Chancery Building.

“Montfort Jones is a great asset to the community,” said Dawson, who comes to Kosciusko by way of Columbia, Tenn.

He added that it becomes more unique every day as there are few county-owned hospitals today.

The Woodville native said there are a number of challenges out there for the hospital to tackle.

One of those is changing how the emergency room is perceived by the community.

He said that measures will be put in place to better gauge the treatment and services of the patient.

He said he hopes to reduce the number of people who leave without treatment and cut down on the waiting time of the patient. The average for waiting, treatment and release from the ER is 2 1/2 hours nationally.

Dawson said continuing to build strong relationships with the doctors at the Kosciusko Medical Clinic is also key.

In an interview with The Star-Herald, Dawson said the physicians have been supportive of him and encouraging.

Dawson said he believes that MJMH can be the “best little hospital in Central Mississippi” especially with the expansion and renovation of the 50-year-old hospital.

We are months away from breaking ground, he said.

He added that it would be 18-24 months before completing the process.

Some of the changes include: changing the location of the front entrance, a new medical records department, new outpatient clinic (area for outpatient surgeries), two-entrance emergency department with two major trauma rooms and two minor, expand the existing imaging department and laboratory, a community meeting space, expand dining facilities, expand the nursing wing and every patient room will be equipped with showers and bathrooms.