Forrest Health is making a $90,000 investment in a new LPN to RN bridge program at Pearl River Community College’s Forrest County campus.

Jacqueline Thomas, RN, was named the recipient of the February DAISY Award at Forrest General Hospital. The award is presented monthly to a deserving nurse or nurses who exemplify clinical expertise and compassionate care and is recognized as a role model in the nursing community.

A special handcrafted American flag now hangs in the main hallway of Forrest General Hospital. The flag, known as the Heroic Flag, is the creation of 16-year-old Lorenzo Liberti of Lakewood Home, Florida. Liberti and his family chose one hospital in each state that has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to receive one of Lorenzo’s handcrafted flags.

It’s been eighteen months since Hattiesburg restaurateur Ron Savell underwent quadruple bypass surgery at Forrest General Hospital. He was just 43 years old at the time. It wasn’t something he planned or expected.

Chuck Carter, who has served with AAA Ambulance Service since 2001, most recently as Chief Operating Officer, has been named the new CEO of the ambulance service which covers an eight-county area. AAA is a joint effort of Forrest General Hospital, Forrest County and the City of Hattiesburg.

Kristi Hatten, PT, DPT, CSRS, recently added a new credential behind her name – CSRS. The acronym stands for Certified Stroke Rehabilitation Specialist. Hatten, who has been employed at Forrest General for 8.5 years, is one of only two who hold this designation within a 100-mile radius of Hattiesburg; the other one is in Louisiana.

Due to the limited vaccine supply coming in from the Mississippi State Department of Health, HealthWorks Immunization Clinic, a service of Forrest General Hospital and Hattiesburg Clinic, will no longer be accepting new appointments for patients who are requesting their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at this time.

When Forrest General employees aren’t on the clock taking care of patients, they are still caring for Pine Belt residents. In this instance, they did it in a fun and very colorful way, and it kept them in stitches. Four Forrest General employees recently joined other crafters from across the community to help swath the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum in downtown Hattiesburg with brightly-colored knitted and crocheted pieces. Basically, they covered pipes, poles, railings and other alley finds with their own coats of many colors.