Delta Pediatric Care is preparing to relocate from Greenville to Leland and operate in a new facility by late spring.
Owner of Delta Pediatric Care Maureen Gallagher announced the new facility will be the former CHILD Development Center at the Leland United Methodist Church.
“Construction is occurring as we speak,” Gallagher said, noting the facility has to be approved by the Mississippi State Department of Health before it becomes operational.
“They’ve already approved our plans, but they have to come and do a walk through and test our generator and equipment before we can be signed off on to move, so, that’s why we don’t have an exact date yet,” she said.
Delta Pediatric Care serves patients in Bolivar, Sunflower and Washington counties and is one of only 14 facilities of its kind — a Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) facility that is qualified to care for children who require skilled nursing — in the state of Mississippi.
Gallagher also highlighted the fact there unfortunately aren’t even facilities of its kind in every state in the country.
“We are able to take care of children from birth to age 21. Some of our patients attend all day and some come in the afternoons after attending school or Head Start in the morning,” she said.
When asked what prompted the relocation process, Gallagher said, “The size of our building.”
“Right now, our occupancy is very small and basically we need a bigger space,” she said.
With the new and larger facility, Gallagher said they will be able to serve more patients.
Even though they are moving to Leland, they will still be able to serve patients in Greenville, especially with having a radius (Bolivar, Sunflower and Washington counties) for its transportation operation Gallagher added.
Gallagher reflected on when Delta Pediatric Care first started and the space they moved into.
“We had to crawl before we walked,” she said, referring to the original space, “But we’ve outgrown it, which is a really good problem — it means in our new facility, we’ll have more parking, we will have a covered entry for our patients a larger playground and outdoor area and just more room for equipment and other things.”
Gallagher reiterated the need and the convenience of significantly more space because the children they serve are medically fragile and have a lot of equipment, most of which must be accommodated by the extra space.
Gallagher also said they are enrolling patients now because they want to be ready with staffing and transportation the minute they receive the green light to move.
“We don’t want to make anybody wait any longer,” she said.
Employment opportunities will also be something for the surrounding community to look forward to as there will be a need not only for pediatric nurses, but certified nursing assistants, direct care and possibly bus drivers.
Another opportunity the relocation of Delta Pediatric Care creates, Gallagher said, is a soon-to-be vacant space for purchase or rent once their move is complete.
Renovations to the former CHILD Development Center at the Leland United Methodist Church include a new entrance with a decorative handicap accessible ramp and awning to be added for the daycare’s children and staff; bathrooms upgraded to ADA compliance; sprinkler system; and the installation of a new HVAC system.
In addition, new lighting and flooring are in the renovation plans.
The Rev. Tony Proctor, pastor of Leland United Methodist Church, told The Leland Progress, “We had been praying as a church about what we could do with the center’s space. This opportunity found us and it allowed us to continue our mission to serve the children of our community.”
He added, “We believe this opportunity to interact with the children will be as transformative for us as it will be for the families who are able to use its service.”
Gallagher said if there is anyone who has questions or inquiries, contact the Delta Pediatric Care center and speak with Miranda Smith, center director.
