HATTIESBURG — Forrest General Hospital and Southern Bone and Joint will start construction in August on a $30 million orthopedic hospital.

The Hattiesburg American reports that the completion date for the 30-bed facility is scheduled for October 2012. The finished hospital will connect to Southern Bone and Joint and include more than 74,000 square feet.

The facility will have orthopedic operating rooms, pre-operative and recovery rooms and support services such as physical and occupational therapy, laboratory and diagnostic imaging services.

Forrest General will staff the hospital that will employ about 150 people.

Southern Bone and Joint opened in 2000. It has 16 physicians and a staff of 150.

Source: The Associated Press