Pearl River County Nursing Home Patients Benefit from Medical Care Right Down the Hall

When a test, blood draw or X-ray is needed or when chest pain, a fall, or another emergency happens, it helps to be close to medical care.

No one understands that better than Pearl River County Nursing Home Administrator Shawn Carpenter and his staff. The 110-bed nursing home is about as close as it gets. It shares a building with Pearl River County Hospital.

The blonde brick structure between Moody Street and Holliday Drive on the north side of town looks like one seamless facility, though it wasn’t always that way. The hospital opened in 1957. A 60-bed nursing home was added in 1970, with another 60 beds added in 1987.

“We have a full-service Emergency Room right here down the hall,” Carpenter said. “Unless one of our residents needs a higher level of care, they can be treated here without ever leaving the building. We’re simply transferring them from one side to the other. Everything is under one roof.”

That also eliminates the need for non-emergency ambulance transport or late-night trips across town for evaluation and return.

The nursing home has access to an in-house lab, X-rays, and full radiology services. If a resident needs bloodwork, metabolic or lipid panels, or imaging to determine whether a bone is broken, it can all be handled quickly.

“We’re part of the same health system, so we receive test results in real time,” Carpenter said. “They’re processed quickly and sent straight back to us. We don’t have to schedule outside appointments, transport patients, sometimes in bad weather, and then wait days for results.”

Along with nurses, therapists, and technicians, the staff includes a medical director and physicians who see residents requiring additional care. If a resident is quarantined due to a contagious illness, staff members monitor them closely. And if a physician is needed, being located in the same building makes it easy for them to step in.

Carpenter noted that while most nursing homes have a medical director and physicians, some contract with nurse practitioners.

“We have two nurse practitioners employed by Forrest Health who work here and only here,” he said. “One covers swing bed, and one covers the nursing home, in addition to our in-house providers.”

The facility also has two psychiatric nurse practitioners who provide counseling and behavioral health consultations.

Another service offered on-site is wound care every Wednesday, so residents don’t have to travel elsewhere for treatment. Inpatient beds are available for observation, and IV medications can be administered around the clock, depending on the patient’s needs. For families, it means their loved ones can remain close to home.

The nursing home also partners with a company that provides on-site audiology, vision and dental services.

“Our patients don’t go to them, they come to our patients,” Carpenter said. “It’s like a house call. They set up here in a clinic-like setting.”

That convenience benefits both residents and their families. While family members often assist with transportation to appointments, the nursing home also provides transportation when needed. The additional services are covered through a supplemental-style insurance option tied to Medicare premiums, and most residents choose to participate.

“It’s like a one-stop shop,” Carpenter said.

While the access to services is important, Carpenter said continuity of care matters most.

“Everything is under the Forrest Health umbrella,” he said. “We share medical records through EPIC and EMR, and we don’t have to wait on outside providers. We don’t bypass our own ER unless we know the patient needs a higher level of care. If someone is unresponsive, we stabilize them here and transfer to Forrest General, our flagship hospital in Hattiesburg, if necessary. Our goal is to take the very best care of our patients.”

At the end of the day, what sets Pearl River County Nursing Home apart isn’t just what’s down the hall — it’s who’s down the hall. The nurses, providers, and staff work together every day to care for residents they know by name. It’s healthcare that’s coordinated, close to home and rooted in the community it serves.

For more information about services at Pearl River County Hospital & Nursing Home, visit forresthealth.org .