Jackson Hospital is Expanding
By: Shelia Mader
Jackson Hospital is in the middle of a major expansion that traces back to the closure of Golson Elementary and a three-way agreement between local entities. In January 2021, the hospital officially acquired the former school property, marking the start of what has become a multi-phase healthcare campus project.
Rex Torbett, Vice President of Support Services, said the transition began when Golson Elementary and other schools consolidated into Marianna K-8, leaving the 11-acre site available.
“We took over the property here that used to be Golson Elementary School. It’s a little over 11 acres. It was a transaction between the school board, the city, and the hospital,” Torbett said.
The property has since been transformed from an aging school campus into a growing medical hub. Much of the original school has already been cleared.
“We have demolished the main school buildings along with the library… But we are in the process… of the actual construction,” he said.
The redevelopment is designed to bring a wide range of healthcare services into one centralized location. One of the first major components is a new therapy center.
“We are going to be building a 10,000 square foot therapy center that will include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy… and also… a pool for aquatic therapy,” Torbett said.
Currently, those services are split across multiple locations, something hospital leaders say this project will fix. “It’ll all be in one,” he added.
A much larger piece of the project is still in development: a two-story, 45,000-square-foot medical office building that will house an ambulatory surgery center and imaging services, shifting many outpatient procedures away from the main hospital.
“That’s an over $30 million project,” Torbett said, noting the hospital is working through the process of securing USDA funding.
Beyond new construction, parts of the old school are being repurposed. One classroom building has already been renovated for administrative and support functions, with additional plans tied to future funding.
“We’ve renovated one of the school classroom buildings… We have plans for the other buildings as well, but [we’re] waiting on funding sources,” he said.
The hospital is also looking to expand high-demand services like oncology and infusion therapy by converting existing school structures.
“They’re literally busting at the seams… We can’t add a provider… because we literally don’t have space,” Torbett said.
The scale of the investment reflects both the ambition of the project and the financial challenges involved. Early infrastructure, including a new roadway and roundabout, was funded through grants in partnership with the city.
“This road was a $3.2 million grant,” Torbett said.
Altogether, the redevelopment of the former Golson campus is already a multi-million-dollar undertaking, with more still to come.
“You’re probably looking at, in the neighborhood of $45 million into this property… So probably somewhere between $45 and $50 million,” he said.
Despite the cost, hospital leadership sees the project as essential to improving access to care in Jackson County.
“It’s going to make it where it’s almost one-stop shopping… People will be able to get their healthcare in one spot,” Torbett said.
The project would not be complete without the completion of Marianna’s first roundabout. Previously, when going to the hospital, directions were to turn right or left off Smith Street, then to Carters Mill Road and then on Hospital Drive. With the renaming of Smith Street to Hospital Drive, you simply follow Hospital Drive to the entrance of Jackson Hospital.
As construction continues, the former Golson Elementary site is steadily being reshaped from a closed school into a centralized healthcare campus intended to serve the region for years to come.
