Some 28 years ago (1996) Dr. Aaron Shirley and Judge Rueben Anderson decided the old, abandoned Jackson Mall needed to be repurposed. It became the most unique and innovative use of a structure that once served a community into a mecca for medical services Mississippi had never envisioned.
Renovations of the Jackson Mall began in 1997 after legal acquisitions of the real estate and the hiring of an architect had been secured. Shirley and Anderson reclaimed the property that had become an eyesore. The next step was the formation of the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation. It would act as a catalyst, serving as a nonprofit demonstrating to potential partners that the community would be the benefactor of what was to come.
Never before had an abandoned mall been repurposed to function as a medical institution set in an urban corridor that was easily accessible to all sources of traffic that developers had identified when the space was a fashion mall. The location of the new medical mall was ideal as it was juxtaposed to Interstate 55, one of the main thoroughfares in Mississippi.
The new Jackson Medical Mall Foundation soon acquired bond financing that solidified partnerships with the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), Jackson State University, and Tougaloo College to house primary care clinics, medical research, and medical specialty services that would be paired with burgeoning public health degree programs that would educate and prepare students for future careers in the medical field. These students were given an opportunity be on the front lines while attending classes that were paired alongside world-class practitioners who allowed them to see doctors who served patients with diseases and conditions that they had only read about in textbooks, that had previously been treated in other far away clinics such as the Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation hired Mr. Primus Wheeler in 2001 as its executive director. Wheeler and his staff brought additional specialty clinics on board further expanding the services offered at the Medical Mall. “Elevating the Jackson Medical Mall to gain national recognition that has now been replicated at Nashville-Tulane, Minnesota, and Texas. A toolkit is being developed to assist others as a blueprint to replicate the Jackson Medical Mall in other cities and states,” said Mr. Wheeler.
Mr. Wheeler began his career at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he has served as a Registered Respiratory Therapist, Director of Clinical Education, and Chairman/Associate Professor in the School of Health-Related Professions. Mr. Wheeler was also employed by Apria Healthcare from 1986-1996 as a Regional Vice President. In 1997, he returned to UMMC as Director of Ambulatory Service with the primary responsibility of moving the teaching clinics and support services to the Jackson Medical Mall. He also implemented a multi-practice primary healthcare center for UMMC at the Jackson Medical Mall.
The clinics combined provide more than 100,000 patient visits per year. In addition to operating the Ambulatory and Primary Care clinics at the Jackson Medical Mall for UMMC, Mr. Wheeler manages the Jackson Medical Mall facility, which is a one-of-a-kind comprehensive healthcare facility providing human, cultural, and healthcare services to more than 200,000 clients per year.
Mr. Wheeler is also a published journal author who has achieved numerous honors and awards including “Who’s Who Among Black Americans”, the “Outstanding Community Service Award” by the National Society of Allied Health, the Tougaloo College Hall of Fame, the “Service Above Self Award” by The Jackson Downtown Rotary Club, and Mississippi’s Most Influential African American Award. He graduated from Tougaloo College in 1972 with a B.S. in Biology. He also holds an associate degree in Respiratory Therapy from Hinds Community College and a master’s degree in Education and Administration from Jackson State University.
It’s one thing to think you are doing good work but in this day and time measurable data provides a concrete and tangible way to track the outcomes of services rendered. Therefore, Mr. Wheeler initiated an independent economic impact study of services offered at the Jackson Medical Mall. Economist Dek Terrell, Ph.D. was contracted by the Foundation to conduct the impact study. The study was funded by the Heron Foundation in 2022.
Mr. Wheeler supplied study findings to the Jackson Advocate newspaper for this article that focused on the Output, Jobs, and Earnings of the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation to attest to the impact of the work done at the Mall as reflected throughout the communities it serves. Terrell’s findings were inclusive of the Jackson Metro Area, Hinds County, and Mississippi as a state where services are provided. The findings are pictured above right.
Dek Terrell, Ph.D. is the Director of the Center for Economics, Business, & Policy Research at Louisiana State University. He joined LSU in 1996 after receiving his Ph.D. at Duke University and spending five years at Kansas State University. Dr. Terrell co-authored three volumes in the Advances in Econometrics Series and has published in leading academic journals such as Economic Journal, Journal of Law and Economics, and Review of Economics and Statistics.
Based on the Economic Impact Study findings, Mr. Wheeler states: “The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation plans include the development of adjacent properties, many of which have already been acquired to facilitate the aesthetics of the areas surrounding the Mall.” In keeping with the mantra of Dr. Shirley, People don’t want to go through hell to get to heaven. “His words resonate with me daily; therefore, I envision many of the dilapidated properties and structures surrounding the Jackson Medical Mall will be demolished and or rehabilitated to present more appealing and inviting avenues that will appreciate well into the future. Additionally, the plans are to have Jackson Public School students K-12 being taught coding and how to lead healthier lives. We have already partnered with Footprint Farms and Farmers Markets to supply food for a Teaching Kitchen. At present, the Mall boasts a 98% occupancy with tenants that co-exist with our medical services. At present, we are working with developers as we anticipate the development of Livingston Road and surrounding Virden Edition and Georgetown to utilize mixed-use projects to include modern streetscapes and updated lighting to affect safety issues and concerns of visitors and commuters who will travel the Woodrow Wilson corridor not only to get to the Medical Mall but to other shops and eat at restaurants in the area.”
Please visit www.jacksonmedicalmall.org to find out more about the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation and/or call 601-982-8467. Email: pwheeler@jacksonmedicalmall.org.
