A Beautiful Day Dawning in Pediatric Care

Good morning!

I don’t know about you, but I am ready for a little fall weather.  After a typical sultry Mississippi summer, I have no problem with nighttime temperatures in the 40s.  I know we will all enjoy it while it lasts.

Glorious weather was also in order on Tuesday, when we cut the ribbon for the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower at Children’s of Mississippi.  It was what I call a “COVID-style” event, not quite the production of the groundbreaking nearly three years ago.  It was a smaller, masked, socially distanced group, but the day was just as beautiful and the spirit of joy and accomplishment was unrivaled.

As I sat near the podium, preparing to give my remarks, I reflected on a quote attributed to Dr. Blair E. Batson, the father of pediatrics in Mississippi, and his description of the significance of a building like the one we were about to celebrate.

“There’s something about the ambience that’s set up by people who are committed to caring for infants and children, who are compassionate in their care of them.  To have an area where they have colleagues who share those same goals, so they can make a team that can work together,” said Dr. Batson.  “And don’t ever forget, people are what make it go.  The building’s great, but it’s the people who are great.”

How true, I thought.  And finally, since we have long-since outgrown the tower that bears Dr. Batson’s name that was completed in 1997, we once again have a building that is truly worthy of not only our wonderful team of pediatric caregivers, but of our patients and their families. 

Tuesday was about a magnificent new resource of hope and healing at our state’s only children’s hospital, a building that is at least on par with any of its peers in the country.  It was about Dr. Batson, who laid the foundation of excellent pediatric care in 1955, and all those gifted pediatric faculty and staff who followed in his footsteps.  And most heartwarming to me, Tuesday was about the generosity of individuals, groups and companies across Mississippi who have made contributions of all sizes in loving support of the sick and injured children who come to us in their hour of need.

During the last few years, I have driven by or walked through the new tower many times while it has been under construction.  There are not enough superlatives to describe it.  Amazing.  Spectacular.  Awe-inspiring.  As workers complete the final touches and give way to patients, families and our pediatric teams over the next two weeks, it gives me such satisfaction to think about how much improved their daily experience will be.

There’s no better example than the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  The existing NICU is an open ward built for 30 babies.  There have been times when we’ve had 90 bassinettes in that space.  Now these tiny, fragile babies will have their own rooms where parents will be able to stay overnight with their new children, with all of the privacy, quiet and comfort they deserve.    

In the audience Tuesday was Dr. Owen “Bev” Evans, who succeeded Dr. Batson as chair of pediatrics.  Bev is emblematic of the many fine pediatric specialists and subspecialists who Dr. Batson recruited to the program, some of whom taught me.  There are too many to name them all, and some have passed away, but these immediately come to mind:  David Watson, Jeanette Pullen, Gail Megason, George Moll, Jimmy Keeton, Sandy Feldman, Jim Jorenson, Dick and Suzanne Miller, Paul Parker and Clinton Smith.

Without their hard work and commitment to our patients, students and trainees year after year, a day like Tuesday would not have been possible. 

Former Gov. Phil Bryant and his wife, Deborah, took part in the ceremony.  Both of them have such a heart for our pediatric patients, and Gov. Bryant championed our request for $30 million in state support of this $180 million project.

Several members of our governing board, along with Mississippi State Institutions of Higher Learning Commissioner Al Rankins, were on hand for the event.  Ole Miss Chancellor Glenn Boyce, who was commissioner when the project was approved, also attended.  They have believed in our dream and supported it to its completion.

Finally, our donors.  We set an ambitious goal of $100 million of private support for this tower.  Today, despite the pandemic, we are approaching $85 million committed to the project, with eight and a half months left in the campaign.

There are so many people and groups to thank, foremost among them Friends of Children’s Hospital and their leaders past and present, including Suzan Thames, Sara Ray and Melanie Morgan.  Our campaign steering committee, including honorary co-chairs Eli and Abby Manning, will continue to lead this effort and have been willing to help in any way they can.

Finally, at the very top of the “thank you” list are Kathy and Joe Sanderson.  We couldn’t have chosen better leaders for our campaign.  Over these last three-plus years, I have come to recognize how much they want what’s best for Mississippi, and they have been willing to put in their own time, effort and money to make that a reality. 

The Sandersons are especially focused on our state’s future.  That future, of course, is manifest in our children.  From their own experience as concerned grandparents of a child who needed to be hospitalized here, they empathize with what children and parents go through in such situations, and they care.  Despite the fact they could do so many other things with their time, they have made our project their passion.  And like all the other people I have mentioned today, it wouldn’t have happened without them. 

In time, when the pandemic is a thing of the past, I hope all members of our UMMC family get a chance to visit the Sanderson Tower.  Many of you have personally contributed to the campaign, and I thank you.  When you are able to see it, you will understand what I think Dr. Batson was getting at in his comment above.  The building IS great.  It is splendid in every way, and will make a huge difference.  But it’s people who made it happen.  And it’s people – our teams that care for patients, and all the support staff who make their work possible – who will make it go.  And that is a beautiful thing.  #UMMCStrong