Facilities Update

Good morning. 

We are a busy organization. Very busy. This includes a constantly active slate of construction, renovation and facility improvement projects. With all the buildings and spaces we inhabit across the state, there’s always something that needs to be moved, fixed or improved. Following last week’s celebration of the “topping out” milestone for the new School of Nursing, I’d like to share a brief snapshot of what’s in the works across the main campus and what lies ahead.  

Here are some projects that are already underway, starting with the three largest: 

• Colony Park North is a $150.6 million project in Ridgeland that can be seen from the interstate. A new facility is being built at this multidisciplinary teaching campus, the highlights of which include a three-story medical clinic building, an ambulatory surgery center and an imaging center.  All the exterior construction is complete with work on the inside progressing quickly. The building will start serving patients early next year. 
• The new School of Nursing has been “topped out” which indicates that the highest point of construction has been reached. This $68.7 million project, mostly covered by a $55 million state appropriation, is being done in two stages – the new building first and then the complete renovation of the previous University Rehabilitation Building. Everything is scheduled to be completed and in use around November 2026.
• The other new education building, an addition to the School of Dentistry, has kicked off construction with utility work. It will be a while before we see big construction equipment on site, but we are on track to have the new building move-in ready mid-2027. The new clinical space, made possible by $40 million from the state legislature, will increase our teaching and patient care opportunities. 
• The Alyce G. Clarke Center for Medically Fragile Children is being built on the Education and Research Center campus between Ridgewood Road and Eastwood Drive in Jackson. This will be the new home for our pediatric complex care program and is scheduled to be ready in October. 
• The new Adolescent Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit is being built in what is referred to as the Circle Tower, adjacent to the Batson Tower. The unit will house 10 inpatient beds and move-in is scheduled for February 2026. 
• The project to expand the Adult Emergency Department and include a psychiatric emergency services unit is underway. This will help patients seeking emergency care for mental health issues receive the necessary care in a tailored environment. 
• A new playground is being built in honor of Robbie Hughes, a dedicated UMMC supporter, in the space known as the Rainbow Garden between the Batson and Wiser towers. It’s scheduled to be open for play in November. 
• When we leased the land on Lakeland Drive across from our campus to the developer of Meridian Apartments, space on the ground floor was set aside for UMMC. Using grant funds from HRSA and money from the Bower Foundation, we are renovating the area into a teaching kitchen. 

There are several active projects in the facility upgrade and maintenance categories: 

• With the move of clinics out of the Pavilion into Colony Park South, renovations are underway in some Pavilion areas to prepare for relocation of some clinics within the Pavilion and the transfer of clinics from the Medical Mall into newly open spaces. Along with the patient care areas, some general facility upgrades in the Pavilion are underway, like replacing the HVAC system. This is all being done in multiple stages and should be completed early next year. 
• The project to refresh the med-surg rooms in the Adult Tower continues and, in some cases, includes new furniture. A more robust project on the Batson Tower med-surg floors is going through a floor-by-floor process, with 3C nearing completion. This work is partially donor funded and will yield rooms and floors that match the look and style of what is in the Sanderson Tower.  
• Speaking of the Sanderson Tower, the pre-heat coils, which aid in regulating the temperature in the winter, are getting replaced. 
• Critical infrastructure projects happening in the research wing include work on the sprinkler systems, roof and air handlers. 
• We are repairing and modernizing elevators in many campus buildings. 
• The project to replace the roof of the Student Union has been going on for a while and should be complete very soon if the weather cooperates. 

There are a few projects that will be starting within the next six months: 

• The UMMC Belhaven building on State Street will be the new home for the Fred R. Adams, Jr. MIND Center and Geriatric Clinic. This project is in the planning stage, but work will start soon. This significant renovation is made possible through donated funds. 
• We will be getting the 8th floor of the Research Wing ready to use as a new vivarium. This project will be paid with development funds. 
• We received HUD funds to remove some of the old buildings on the north side of Lakeland Drive, across from the east part of the main campus. This blight removal will have a positive visual impact on the area many people see first around our campus when coming from the interstate. 

When I see it all in a list like this, I’m amazed by how much we have going on or are planning at the same time – and there are many smaller projects that I just can’t put in this column, or it would be too long. This constant churn of improvements and growth is necessary to meet expanding needs and keep us on a smooth path toward A Healthier Mississippi.