Residents have relied on Hancock Medical Center as their community health resource since 1960. Established under the name of Hancock General Hospital, the Dunbar Avenue facility replaced Kings Daughters Hospital, a multi-room frame structure located in downtown Bay St. Louis.
The current Drinkwater Boulevard acute care facility, constructed in 1987, is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. A major renovation in 1995 focused on the expansion of the emergency area and several ancillary departments. The 7,500-sq.-ft. addition included a large outpatient/emergency department lobby, expanded respiratory, radiology, surgery and rehabilitation departments. New state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment in surgery and radiology allowed more county residents to receive medical care locally. An 8,000-sq.-ft. Business and Education Complex opened in 1997 to house the accounting, financial and information services departments, as well as a spacious classroom available for use by the community.
The hospital was licensed for an additional 38 beds (for a total of 104) in 1998, and later that year opened the 49,000-sq.-ft. women's and children's pavilion and new intensive care unit. The pavilion is named for longtime Board of Trustees President, the late Reverend Charles R. Johnson. An outpatient surgery registration area and expanded surgical unit were also part of the expansion project.
In 2003 the hospital began a multi-phase $8 million renovation project to expand several departments and improve patient access to outpatient services. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast and changed everything. The hospital suffered $26 million in damages and the community as a whole was devastated from Katrina's wrath. A dedicated group of employees and physicians remained and helped put lives, homes, and the hospital back together.
Today in 2007, Hancock Medical is 47 beds strong and heading back to 104 as residents return to the area. A dedicated group of more than 100 physicians representing a broad spectrum of medical specialties make up Hancock Medical Center's active and consulting medical staffs. Combined with the dedication of nearly 400 professional staff members, our health care team strives to provide the highest quality medical care for our community. Our mission is to be the community's health resource.