Forrest General Hospital Home Care Celebrates 40^th Anniversary

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – (July 1, 2025) Forrest General Hospital Home Care is celebrating four decades of trust and excellence delivered to your doorstep. Home Care is specialized care in the comfort of a patient’s home when they are recovering from an illness, injury, or surgery and is available for all ages.

Personalized home care is often the best course of treatment when a patient does not require the constant care provided by a hospital or nursing home. The Home Care staff consists of an interdisciplinary team of medical professionals who possess the knowledge and ability to provide superior care in any situation

“As we celebrate our 40^th anniversary this year, this Home Care group has the common vision of making sure patients are completely satisfied,” said Leslie Masters, RN, who took over as Home Care director in 2019 after working as a field nurse, a telehealth nurse, Patient Clinical manager for the Picayune office, and program director for Hattiesburg. “The caring, knowledgeable staff keeps the Forrest Health We CARE values in the forefront of their mind and actions. We are always on a mission to do what is best for our patients.”

Forrest General Home Care opened its doors and welcomed its first patients in 1985 when Forrest General purchased a privately-owned home health care agency. The facility, which served 16 counties at that time, housed home health nurses, nursing assistants, therapists, social workers, the business office, and other supporting staff, in its location on South 27^th Avenue in Hattiesburg. There were also Home Care offices in Columbia, Laurel, Lumberton, New Augusta, Prentiss, and Tylertown.

By the time Home Care celebrated its 30^th anniversary in 2015, they had expanded their coverage to a 19-county area and added services including skilled nursing, specialty nursing, social services, certified nurses’ aides, therapy, and various specialty programs for all ages, from newborns to senior adults.

Now, 40 years later, Home Care has 138 employees with seven offices that house nine care teams. In 2024, they made approximately 94,049 Home Care visits. Their daily average census is 980 patients. In addition to the main office in Hattiesburg, offices are located in Lumberton, Prentiss, Tylertown, Richton, Columbia, Picayune, and Laurel.

Home Care is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Anyone may request admission for themselves or a loved one, but a prescription from their provider, which can be an MD, NP, or PA, is required. Home care is covered by many insurance companies for qualified individuals. FGHC files all claims and handles all paperwork to make the patient’s experience easier. Services are also provided under Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance). Medicaid recipients may also be eligible for home care.

Home Care services offered include: IV therapy, nursing care, wound/ostomy nursing services, diabetic educator visits, infusion services, wound care, pediatric services, personal care and medical social services, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, nutritional and intravenous therapy, registered dietician visits, psychiatric/mental health services, pediatric services, supplies, and equipment arrangements. These programs work to meet both the patients’ and family’s physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs with the assistance of skilled care.

For more information about Forrest General Home Care, visit forresthealth.org.