OXFORD, Miss (WCBI) - Baptist Memorial Hospital - North Mississippi has formally asked for approval for its hospital in Oxford. Baptist recently made a purchase of a 160 acre lot for the new hospital, just southeast of Oxford.

The proposal was submitted to the State Department of Health in June, which must approve a certificate of need to avoid duplication of health care services and control costs. If approved, Baptist will have five years to complete construction. Baptist is hopeful to begin construction by early 2013 and estimate it will only take two to three years to complete.