Simmons Bank donates $1 million for new Jefferson County Health Unit, Veteran’s Services office
by October 5, 2020 4:36 pm 769 views
Simmons Bank gifted $1 million to support the construction of the new Dr. Josetta Wilkins Jefferson County Health Unit and the Sergeant Elga Lee Roberts Jefferson County Veteran’s Services Office in Pine Bluff.
The gift was announced Monday (Oct. 5) at groundbreaking ceremonies for the health unit and the veteran’s services office and will be celebrated by naming the lobbies of the buildings in honor of Simmons Bank’s investment.
“For more than 100 years, Simmons Bank has been committed to community,” said Daniel Robinson, community president of Simmons Bank in Pine Bluff. “Donating this gift to support our veterans and our local health unit is investing in the future of Pine Bluff, our hometown and our headquarters.”
Dr. Josetta Wilkins authored and sponsored the Arkansas Breast Cancer Act of 1997, which provided millions of dollars for education, diagnosis, treatment and research of breast cancer for Arkansas women. The new health unit will be named in her honor and located on the southwest corner of Jefferson Regional Medical Center campus.
The construction of the health unit is slated to be completed in the fall of 2021. The 12,000 square-foot facility will have 13 exam rooms and a laboratory. The unit will also include an approximately 600-foot canopy for infectious disease testing.
The new Veteran’s Services Office will be named in honor of the late Sergeant Elga Lee Roberts, an Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm, and will be located at 114 State Street, in historic downtown Pine Bluff.
The 5,300-square foot building will include veteran administration services as well as a museum, recreation room and other visiting areas for veterans. The center courtyard will serve as a veteran’s Memorial to honor Jefferson County veterans who sacrificed their lives in service for our country.
The Health Unit and Veteran’s Services Office are organized under a Public Private Partnership with The P3 Group, Inc. and Jefferson County. The P3 Group, Inc., is the nation’s largest, minority-owned, Public Private Partnership developer.