History
In March of 1900, a small medical facility opened in South Mississippi. It was established under the leadership of Dr. T.E. Ross with a dedication to providing the best of medical service and personal Christian care to the growing community.
In 1903, the Ross Sanitarium expanded to 40 beds, was renamed the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad Employees Hospital and moved into a larger building to better serve its patients. The hospital extended its usefulness in 1906, when it established the Gulf and Ship Island Hospital Training School for Nurses. In 1908 and 1918, through changes in ownership, the hospital became known as Hattiesburg Hospital and King's Daughters Hospital, respectively. As King's Daughters Hospital, the facility expanded to 60 beds.
The Mississippi Annual Conference of the Methodist Church took over the operation of the hospital in 1921 and renamed it Methodist Hospital. Construction was completed in 1926 on a new 75-bed Methodist Hospital and nurses' dormitory at the Hall Avenue/Bay Street location. Methodist Hospital served the community from that location until 1980, when it relocated to its new facility, a 226-acre campus in west Hattiesburg.
In 1986, the hospital established The Institute for Wellness and Sports Medicine, the first hospital-based wellness facility in Mississippi. Completion of the Wesley Towers in 1992 added 100,000 square feet to the facility.
Another significant change occurred in 1997, the hospital was renamed Wesley Medical Center and remains today a 211-bed facility, offering acute care, diagnostic and surgical facilities and numerous outpatient services.
The hospital is a dynamic entity, continually changing and growing in size, service and scope to meet the needs of South Mississippi. Even with these changes, one thing has—and always will—remain the same: our commitment to providing compassionate, quality healthcare for the changing needs in your life.