VIDALIA — Construction on the new Promise Hospital of the Miss-Lou location is approximately 95 percent complete.

“It is in the final stages, so we are definitely getting excited,” Vice President of Operations for Promise Healthcare Lee Huckaby said.

The work at the site right now includes internal preparations such as cosmetic work.

Everything is moving according to plan, and the hospital expects to receive its certificate of occupancy within the next few weeks, Huckaby said.

“If the keys are turned over to us by the first of April, we are conservatively looking at six to eight weeks before we start operations there,” Huckaby said. “We hope for that to be sooner rather than later.”

Once the hospital receives a certificate of occupancy from the contractor, administrators can begin moving their equipment into the building, and once everything is in place state officials will come in and certify the location.

Getting the certificate of occupancy will depend on when the contractor finishes their work.

“We don’t want to rush them, because we want to make sure everything is completed according to plan,” Huckaby said.

The company plans to have a grand opening ceremony in conjunction with the Vidalia and Natchez-Adams County Chambers of Commerce, and after that they will have several days where members of the public will be allowed to take scheduled tours of the facility before patients are brought in.

The facility will have all private rooms and will house 48 beds. It will function as a long-term acute care center.

A long-term acute care center is a hospital for patients who require a longer-than-average hospital stay to recover from severe injuries or serious illnesses.

Promise Hospital of the Miss-Lou is currently located at 6816 U.S. 84, in Ferriday.