Advancing Healthcare for the Children of an Entire State

As the only medical facility in the state of Mississippi devoted exclusively to children, the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower expansion at the University of Mississippi Medical Center is set to transform the delivery of healthcare for children throughout the entire state.

The project includes a 340,000-square-foot expansion with a new diagnostic and treatment podium, clinics, and seven-story bed tower adjacent to the existing hospital. The facility provides care in more than 30 specialty areas, including newborn medicine, pediatric cardiology, neurology and surgery. It houses the state’s only pediatric intensive care unit and emergency department along with Mississippi’s only pediatric treatment programs for cancer, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, congenital heart defects and more. Many young patients depend on the hospital every day.

A Patient Journey Expressed Through Design

The exterior skin is a response to movement which is part of the patient’s journey. The podium of the building is wrapped with metal panel with sloping ends to provide direction to the glass lobby entry. The bed tower is pushed back from the podium and shifts in the middle to respond to circulation and movement. The use of the campus standard brick is a nod to the campus history; metal panel, glazing, and a glass canopy indicate the movement toward the future. 

The interior architecture flush with themes familiar to Mississippi, expressing the different regions of the state and its culture. Upon entering the lobby, patients and visitors are greeted with a flowing Mississippi Delta aesthetic.  From there, each floor carries the cultural and natural themes of the state through the coast, hills and up to the pines on the inpatient floor. This cohesive patient journey — a story experienced by each patient — creates an atmosphere in which patients can feel at ease during procedures, checkups or extended stays.

Near the entrance of the new tower are several 30-foot metal dandelion sculptures, a native plant of Mississippi. Enchanting, they reach up toward the sky for the children’s wishes to be carried off by hopeful winds.

As Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the UMMC School of Medicine said at the ribbon cutting, “Dreams are being realized, and possibilities have been turned into bricks and mortar.”