In the poorest state in the country, which ranks last in healthcare, the community of Louisville, Miss, staged an effort to rebuild the only hospital within a 30-mile radius after a tornado devastated the region. Operating out of MASH tents for 11 months, then moving into mobile trailers, the employees of Winston Medical Center sacrificed comfort and convention to care for their patients.

On April 28, 2014, an EF4 tornado tore a 34-mile track through the town, killing 10 people and leaving hundreds homeless. The tornado completely destroyed Louisville’s 60-year-old hospital.

In the aftermath of the tornado, Winston Medical Center reported that the 125 patients, visitors and staff in the facility at the time of the storm were safely evacuated from the building. There were no deaths at the facility and only one injury. At the same time, Louisville neighbors began to arrive seeking care for their tornado-related injuries. Despite having an extremely damaged facility, the staff of Winston Medical Center treated more than 100 people that night.

The opening of the new $55,000,000 facility is the result of three years of hard work and dedication from Louisville’s residents and leaders.

The first patients were accepted May 1.