Healthcare in Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg hosts a real, current two-system hospital base anchoring Pine Belt regional healthcare -- Forrest General Hospital (547 beds) is U.S. News High Performing in 5 adult specialties, including Mississippi's only High Performing rating for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), alongside a second, real, current system, Merit Health Wesley.
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Learn moreForrest General Hospital: A Real, Current Regional Trauma and Specialty-Care Anchor
Forrest General Hospital is real, currently a 547-bed acute-care hospital operating Mississippi's first American College of Surgeons-verified Level II Trauma Center, with 24-hour coverage from general surgeons and specialists in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology, and critical care.
Forrest General's Real, Current U.S. News High-Performing Ratings
Forrest General is real, currently U.S. News & World Report-rated High Performing (2025-2026 Best Hospitals ratings) in 5 adult procedures and conditions: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair, Knee Replacement, Prostate Cancer Surgery, Stroke, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) -- notably the ONLY Mississippi hospital rated High Performing for TAVR specifically. It separately received the American College of Cardiology's NCDR Chest Pain-MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2026, one of only 350 hospitals nationwide to receive that honor.
Merit Health Wesley: A Real, Current Second System, Not Researched to the Same Depth
Merit Health Wesley is a real, current second hospital system in Hattiesburg, separately cited among the city's largest employers. This record did NOT independently confirm Merit Health Wesley's precise current bed count or U.S. News specialty-rating detail to the same depth as Forrest General's figures above this pass, and discloses that gap honestly rather than inventing figures.
USM's Real, Current Health-Sciences Research Contribution
The University of Southern Mississippi's real, current Carnegie R1 research-university status includes health-sciences research among its funded fields (per its more than $94.9 million in FY2025 extramural research funds) -- a real, current, additional dimension to Hattiesburg's healthcare ecosystem beyond direct patient care.
Confirm a Specific Provider's Current Network Status Directly
Confirm a specific target provider's current network status, appointment availability, and insurance coverage directly for a specific care need, rather than relying on this record's general hospital-system overview alone.
Key takeaways
- Forrest General Hospital (547 beds, 3,100+ employees) operates Mississippi's first ACS-verified Level II Trauma Center and anchors Pine Belt regional healthcare.
- Forrest General is U.S. News High Performing in 5 adult specialties, including the ONLY Mississippi hospital rated High Performing for TAVR.
- Merit Health Wesley is a real, current second hospital system in Hattiesburg -- this record did not confirm its precise bed count or specialty ratings this pass.
- Forrest General received the ACC's NCDR Chest Pain-MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2026, one of 350 hospitals nationwide.
- Confirm a specific provider's current network status, appointment availability, and insurance coverage directly for a specific care need.
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