Baptist HealthPlex Undergoes Changes as Negotiations Take Place
Discover more from Blue & Gold Media at Mississippi College
Baptist HealthPlex Undergoes Changes as Negotiations Take Place
The fitness center is to remain available for students, faculty, and locals. Opening the fitness center to the public has allowed it to be the most quality fitness center in Clinton.
Baptist Health Systems (BHS) currently rents space in the HealthPlex from Mississippi College for a medical clinic and a physical therapy clinic. The current agreement is set to end in March 2026.
“[MC] would like for Baptist to build a clinic across the street,” said Laura Jackson, MC’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer. “We are in conversations with them about that. At this point, nothing is set in stone.”
BHS and MC have been negotiating since March of 2022. MC administration wants BHS to build a new clinic across Highway 80 in the mixed-use development. It would offer the same services the HealthPlex offers now to both students and locals.
BHS moving out of the building leaves 20,000 square feet of empty space. Currently, the Physician’s Assistant classes take place in the HealthPlex, but the MC administration hopes to use that space for more.
“Having that space in the HealthPlex to expand [the nursing and the kinesiology programs] will be vital for the growth of those programs,” said Jackson. “The idea is that we would have access to that 20,000 square feet, that we could move the nursing program over there and out of Cockcroft.”
No plans have been made to change the fitness center. The fitness center is to remain available for students, faculty, and locals. Opening the fitness center to the public has allowed it to be the most quality fitness center in Clinton. The student and local interaction adds to the unique experience that MC offers.
“I used to go [to the HealthPlex] every morning at the same time,” said Lizzy Michaelis, a junior nursing major. “The locals started to know me. I loved seeing them talking and interacting. It’s their community, and they are great encouragers when you work out. It makes MC feel more like home.”
 | A guest post by
|