Blair E. Batson Hospital
The Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children located in Jackson, has made many
changes over the years but the quality care that is provided for our Mississippi
children has only flourished inside these walls.
When the University of Mississippi Medical Center opened in 1955, only one
section of one wing of the hospital was dedicated to pediatrics. Dr. Blair E.
Batson, the hospital’s namesake, lobbied for a separate hospital specializing in
pediatrics. Dr. Batson said that “children are not miniature adults” and do not
have the same needs and cares of an adult; he knew that children needed their
own specialized health care unit devoted to combating childhood illnesses,
ranging from chicken pox and allergies to cancer.
Since Batson first opened its doors as the first specialized children’s
healthcare facility in the state in 1968, it has grown to become the only
comprehensive children’s hospital in Mississippi. The campus now includes not
only the health clinics the hospital originated from, but also the state’s only
Ronald McDonald House, the Mississippi Children’s Cancer Clinic, the state’s
sole pediatric emergency care unit, and the state’s only pediatric surgical
suite and intensive care unit. The hospital grew at such an astounding rate that
a new hospital was built 1997 to match its state-of-the-art healthcare with a
new state-of-the-art facility.
Batson’s sees more than 150,000 patients each year administering care across the
spectrum including cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, cancer, heart disease,
AIDS, allergies, trauma, neurological disorders, pulmonary disease, epilepsy and
more. It also treats patients regardless of their family’s ability to pay.
Batson Hospital for Children depends on the generosity of the community to
continue care for the many children who are brought through its doors. The
charitable organization, Friends of Children's Hospital, hosts numerous charity
events and giving opportunities throughout the year to give everyone the
opportunity to be part of Batson’s success.
For more information on Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, please visit this
web site: www.umc.edu/childrens_hospital/