Southaven, Miss., Nov. 28, 2005 – Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto will host a topping out ceremony today to place the final beam at the top of its 11-story patient tower.

The bed tower, which will be completed in October 2006, measures 400,000 square feet and will add 140 acute and critical care beds to the hospital, allowing it to offer all private rooms. The project also will add a new and expanded emergency department, more operating suites and space for future additions. About 100,000 square feet of space within the hospital, which includes the areas where the emergency department and rehabilitation services are now, will be renovated, as well.

“This event celebrates another important milestone in our bed tower construction project,” said Randy King, administrator and CEO of Baptist DeSoto. “It means we’re getting closer to achieving our goal of making health care more convenient and comfortable for DeSoto County residents.”

Baptist DeSoto is a 199-bed hospital that offers diagnostic, surgical and rehabilitation services. In 2001, the hospital completed an expansion project that nearly doubled its size, expanded its labor and delivery services and added open-heart surgery and radiation therapy. In December 2002, the Baptist DeSoto Outpatient Diagnostic Center and Women’s Center opened, which houses DeSoto County’s fist open MRI, mammography services and other diagnostic tools.

For more information, please call (662) 349-4000 or visit http://desoto.baptistonline.org

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