UMMC makes Burn Center opening official with a ribbon cutting ceremony
Published on Monday, June 2, 2025
By: Rachel Vanderford, rvanderford@umc.edu
Photos By: Joe Ellis/ UMMC Communications
Today, the University of Mississippi Medical Center hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the establishment of the Mississippi Burn Center’s new dedicated unit, which opened in May.
Cutting the ribbon on Monday for the opening of the new burn unit are, front row, from left, Kayla Hubbard of Magee; Dr. Juvonda Hodge, director of the Mississippi Burn Center; Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs; Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for health affairs; Kenneth Clark of Waynesboro. Behind are Dr. Daniel Edney, state health officer; Dr. Peter Arnold, chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery; Dr. Al Rankins, IHL commissioner; Sherry Riser, nursing director; Gee Ogletree, IHL president; and Sen. Walter Michel.
Kenneth Clark of Waynesboro made the trip back to UMMC to join the celebration.
Clark was severely injured when a vehicle struck his tractor from behind and caused it to tip, crushing his pelvis, leaving him with broken ribs, a collapsed lung, broken bones in his face and a severe burn on his leg. He spent more than four weeks at the Medical Center, where he was treated collaboratively by multiple specialists.
“I wouldn’t have missed this event for the world,” Clark said. “I’m so glad to come back and see everyone who took care of me. These people feel like my family now and I wouldn’t be where I am without the care I got at UMMC.”
UMMC faculty, staff and administration gathered with state officials and former burn center patients to honor the achievement—being one of only a handful of new burn centers nationwide to be created in the past two decades. This major development comes after the Mississippi State Department of Health designated UMMC as a state burn center in 2023.
“When we heard that the state’s only burn facility was closing, we jumped into action,” said Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for health affairs. “I started a meeting with Dr. Arnold, and basically in no time, we put together a plan to fill a void for the state of Mississippi that is so important.”
“We are the place that takes care of these patients with these very complex issues, whether they are young, old, pediatric or adult,” said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs. “To be able to open this unit today and now to extend and to grow our burn care for the patients in Mississippi that need it, that’s what we’re all about.”
Staffed by a multidisciplinary team that includes experts in emergency medicine, trauma and plastic surgery, critical care, laboratory services, rehabilitation and mental health, the unit offers both acute and long-term support. This integrated model of care ensures that burn patients receive not only life-saving treatment, but also the physical and emotional rehabilitation needed for a full recovery.
“You have to understand how much coordination and collaboration it takes to bring something like this together,” said Dr. Juvonda Hodge, the Center’s director. “It was truly a team effort. I could not have asked for a better team to put this center together. It’s been a long time coming, and it feels like I’m birthing a baby, but it’s what we are here for—Mississippi and beyond.”
The unit features a hydrotherapy suite designed for wound debridement, equipped with a shower table, temperature controls and a television to help ease patient discomfort during procedures. These
treatments support healing and reduce the need for surgery. Though, when operations are necessary, patients benefit from having OR suites located in the same tower.
Spacious patient rooms also allow care teams to perform dressing changes and bedside procedures with greater efficiency and comfort.
Kayla Hubbard of Magee, another patient of the Mississippi Burn Center, joked that she felt like she was in a five-star hotel during her stay at the Medical Center “until it came time to change my dressings; that part is always tough.”
“I felt so cared for and supported every moment that I was here,” she said. “And since I’ve been out, I’ve had a lot of people, other burn patients, reach out to me on social media to connect and follow along on my journey. It’s crazy to think about the difference in my life between now and five months ago.”
Hubbard has become somewhat of an advocate for burn survivors on social media, inspiring them to keep moving. “I’ve had other people contact me who Dr. Hodge has treated in the past—even from her time at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta—to let me know that I’m in good hands.”