For the first time in years, Natchez Regional Medical Center turned a profit, according to the hospital’s CEO.

“This is the first time we’ve made a profit since the year 2000,” CEO Jeff Wesselman said. “This is very good news.”

A summary of the publicly owned and privately operated hospital’s finances was presented at a recent aldermen meeting.

The hospital turned a profit of $325,718 last fiscal year, Wesselman said.

That’s good news for a hospital that has struggled financially over the past few years.

The reasons the hospital is back in the black are complex, Wesselman said.

“We’re making sure we provide the right services at the right time,” he said.

And like the Natchez economy in general, things have picked up for the hospital recently. It was hit hard after industries left the Miss-Lou in recent years, but now things are picking back up.

“As the economy in Natchez increased, we have also had an increase in business at our hospital,” Weselman said. “We’re watching our cost and have had more revenue because Natchez is growing.”

The summary draft of the hospital’s finances also reveals more patients from Natchez, Roxie, Woodville, Jonesville, Monterey and Vidalia headed for Natchez Regional than checked in last year.

Most notably, the number of Vidalia patients rose by roughly 20 percent compared to the 2005 fiscal year.

“It means we can be the regional center for the Miss-Lou,” he said. “That’s what we’re striving to be.”

The hike in patients is also likely due in part to a better local economy.

And things should only improve further, Wesselman said. With new additions in technology and patient services, he said he hopes the trend will continue and that more patients will take advantage of the new services.

“We anticipate only better things for 2007,” he said.