In September, the Sunflower Greenwood Medical Complex (SGC) officially opened, following North Sunflower Medical Center in Ruleville’s purchase and transformation of a former donut shop and community college campus in the town.
This new facility serves as an extension of the Ruleville hospital, enhancing healthcare access for the Greenwood community.
Located at 205 West Park Avenue, the new clinic officially had a soft opening on September 23 of last year with an official ribbon cutting taking place the next month.
NSMC Chief Clinical Officer, Brooks Rizzo — who also oversees SGC — said the need was apparent for such a full-service, primary clinic in the Greenwood and surrounding area.
“We have a lot of patients who come to our Ruleville health clinic from Greenwood, as well as many of our employees,” said Rizzo, elaborating on the opening. “We decided to expand our access to care for those reasons and for what we saw as a lack of resources in the area.”
Rizzo said the majority of the 30 employees at the new Greenwood clinic are locals and half of them already worked for North Sunflower. “But most will work shifts in both Ruleville and Greenwood,” she said. “Our providers on call there are also local and have worked in Greenwood for years. One example is our Clinic Medical Director, Dr. Louis Moses, who worked in the ER in town for probably 35 years.
“I want people to know if they have family or friends in the area of SGC that need urgent or primary care or would like to try our other services, SGC is there for them,” said Rizzo. “Being a Bolivar County resident since 1996, I know it’s hard to get an appointment with a primary care provider on the same day in Bolivar County. That’s why North Sunflower’s rural health clinics exist — to increase access to healthcare. Not only do we take walk-ins, we are also more than urgent care: We have a full lab, X-ray, ultrasound, pharmacy, Durable Medical Equipment, and a hospice. We are a one stop shop for medical care.”
The clinic has a drive-through window for pharmacy pick-up but can also deliver if needed.
Rizzo said the Greenwood community, as well as the city’s political leadership, welcomed the clinic with welcoming arms, as news of the impending opening began to spread last year.
“We had been working on it for a while, about a year actually, so word got out and people were very glad we were opening the clinic,” said Rizzo. “And now, we’re seeing more patients coming in on a weekly basis, which only goes to prove that our presence was needed. We’re very pleased about that.”
The clinic is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.. All insurance is accepted.