Hinds Community College dedicated a new $64 million, 160,000-square-foot Health Sciences Complex on its Rankin Campus in Pearl on Oct. 7, 2026, consolidating the college’s nursing and allied health programs in one building.
SuperTalk Mississippi reported the three-story complex opened in August 2026 for the fall semester and includes modern classrooms, specialized laboratories, high-fidelity simulation labs and mock hospital rooms designed for realistic, hands-on training.
U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, who spoke at the dedication, said the facility is expected to train more than 650 people annually for health care-related careers, SuperTalk Mississippi reported.
Hinds President Dr. Stephen Vacik told the ceremony, “This is not just a teaching facility. This is an economic engine,” according to the report.
SuperTalk Mississippi said the complex houses programs including registered nursing, dental assisting, paramedicine, emergency medical services, health care assisting and physical therapist assisting. The facility is organized around simulation-based instruction and collaborative learning so students can practice skills and work through realistic patient scenarios before clinical placements, the report said.
Katharine Elliott, Hinds’ dean of health sciences, said the building will have an impact “for generations to come” and emphasized that employers value graduates who enter the workforce with hands-on skills, SuperTalk Mississippi reported.
Speakers at the Oct. 7 dedication included Dr. Keith Grubbs of Park Place Baptist Church; State Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby; Rankin County Board of Supervisors member Craig Slay; Garrett Wright, president and CEO of the Rankin First Economic Development Authority; and U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, the report said.
Garrett Wright told the ceremony the complex will create a local pipeline of trained health care workers for employers in the region, saying, “We now have a direct pipeline of talent going to those companies within our sector,” SuperTalk Mississippi reported.
SuperTalk Mississippi also noted that Hinds Community College operates five campuses in central Mississippi and offers programs for university transfer as well as career and technical workforce preparation.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
