Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County has regained its Level 3 trauma center and primary pediatric center designation, allowing patients to receive emergency care closer to home.
The designation, which the hospital will maintain for three years, means the facility can provide 24-hour surgical coverage, stabilize and treat seriously injured patients and, if necessary, transfer them to a higher-level trauma center.
District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer said the designation is a step in the right direction when it comes to providing health care to county residents.
“I think that just kind of says that we’re headed in the right direction, and we’re looking forward to some even greater improvement and greater levels of service out of Baptist,” Trainer told The Dispatch on Tuesday. “I think they’re going in the right direction. It will take some time to get where everybody wants us to be, but I … think that they have the resources and have the wherewithal to take our health care and really put it on a level that this area and this region expects for it to be.”
The last time the hospital held a Level 3 trauma designation was in August 2024, when it was still owned by the county. The hospital lost the designation after failing to meet required standards. Baptist Memorial Health Care purchased the facility, formerly known as OCH Regional Medical Center, in October.
Since then, Kim Alexander, director of public relations and internal communications for BMHC, said the hospital staff has “rebuilt and developed” its medical team to ensure there is staffing, support and procedures in place to meet standards required for the designation.
“They coordinated orthopedic coverage, ensured we had 24-hour high-level surgical coverage, revised processes, reviewed best practices and developed new response strategies so we could care for patients who present to our hospital following a trauma,” she wrote in an email to The Dispatch. “We now have the coverage and operations to stabilize or treat patients who’ve experienced medical traumas.”
Hospitals with Level 3 trauma designation can provide more extensive care, including emergency operations and patient stabilization as well as the ability to arrange for a patient transfer when necessary. Level 3 trauma centers can also provide continuous general surgical coverage.
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle in Columbus is a Level 3 trauma center.
Alexander said the designation will make a significant difference in local patients’ access to trauma care.
“It means there is a local hospital with the expertise and staff to respond to traumatic injuries, often when minutes count most,” she said. “I think it’s important to point out it will not only benefit Starkville, but as many as seven surrounding counties as well.”
Mac Flynt, CEO and administrator for the hospital, called the designation an “exciting achievement” in providing care to Oktibbeha County.
“Our staff has worked diligently to meet stringent criteria to regain this designation, and I appreciate their dedication,” he said in a press release.”We are committed to meeting the highest standards and providing extraordinary care for patients of different levels in this community.”
Editor’s note: General assignment reporter Cadence Harvey contributed to the reporting in this story.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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