NMMC,UMC To Partner On Pediatric Care

 PRESS RELEASE

            TUPELO, Miss.—North Mississippi Medical Center and Children’s of Mississippi have partnered with local pediatricians to form Children’s Clinic-Tupelo and Children’s Clinic-Saltillo.

Children’s of Mississippi is the umbrella organization that includes all pediatric care affiliated with the University of Mississippi Medical Center, including Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson.

A Children’s Clinic will open in each of the former North Mississippi Pediatrics, P.A., locations at 1573 Medical Park Circle in Tupelo and 108 Desert Cove in Saltillo. Drs. Benjamin Meeks, Charles Robertson, Van Stone, Eric Street and Veronica Valdez and nurse practitioner Danielle Woodruff will continue to see patients at the Tupelo location. Drs. Jennifer Grisham, Thomas Ireland and Amy Price, and nurse practitioner Tina King, will continue to treat patients in Saltillo.

Both clinics are open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Appointments may be made for either clinic by calling (662) 844-9885 or 1-800-THE DESK (1-800-843-3375).

“Children’s of Mississippi has the expertise in pediatrics—both from a clinical and practice management point of view,” said Ellen Friloux, administrator for NMMC Women and Children’s Services. “We felt like aligning with a children’s health system would bring that pediatric expertise and really move us toward excellence. The University of Mississippi Medical Center is certainly a credible partner to assist us in this endeavor.”

Friloux said that while the locations and experienced medical staff remain the same, “we believe that the experience of Children’s of Mississippi will bring a fresh approach to the practice operations in addition to gains in efficiency, quality and service to families in our region.”

The medical staff will be employed by NMMC, while the clinic staff will be employed by UMMC. Both will share management responsibilities. “This arrangement allows the health providers to focus on quality of care, while we can focus on managing the practice,” she said. “By doing so, both should improve.”

Friloux said renovations are planned for the Tupelo clinic and will begin soon. “We are also looking to grow pediatric primary care in this area to make it more accessible to our community,” she said.

Karen Dowling, Children’s of Mississippi chief ambulatory operations officer, said the partnership allows the best of care to be available to north Mississippi families. “Our vision at Children’s of Mississippi is to touch the life of every child in the state, so offering care close to home for families is one of our goals as an organization. By partnering with NMMC and local pediatricians, we can give children in north Mississippi a healthy start in life.”

Children’s of Mississippi already has a presence in Tupelo. In January 2015 a pediatric specialty clinic opened at 240 Service Drive, Building 2, Suite D, at Journal Business Park off South Green Street. This clinic houses pediatric endocrinologists Drs. Jessica Lilley and Sara Silver, pediatric cardiologists Drs. Salwa Gendi and Frank Osei, and dietitian/pediatric nutrition specialist Deborah Stone. Pediatric orthopaedist Dr. Wade Shrader, pediatric surgeon Dr. Christopher Blewett and child development specialists also offer monthly or quarterly clinics at that location.

In addition, Children’s of Mississippi staffs pediatric hospitalists 24 hours daily at NMMC Women’s Hospital. Dr. Viswanath Gajula and other providers consult with pediatric patients in the NMMC Emergency Department and provide hospital care for children on the Pediatrics unit at Women’s Hospital.