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The year was 1975. The Vietnam War was coming to a close, Microsoft had just been founded and Bruce Springsteen was topping the charts. South Central Regional Medical Center, which was called Jones County Community Hospital at the time, had just entered its third decade of faithfully serving the Pine Belt, and three young women joined the staff: Judy Hicks, Nell Warren and Jodie Mancil. Today, a half-century later, we want to pause and celebrate the impact they have made on the organization.
Judy Hicks
Judy is a Laurel native who spent most of her adolescence living in Germany, France, Belgium and in various states across the eastern seaboard. Her father was in the Army, and moving was part of the job. When her father retired, the whole family moved back to Laurel, and Judy, who was 21 at the time, began working in admissions at Jones County Community Hospital in July 1975.
“I didn’t know what insurance was or what a policy was,” Judy said. “I was working from noon until 9 p.m., and I remember telling my dad, ‘I don’t like it. I want to quit.’ Then he said, ‘you have not been there long enough. Give it six months.’”
Judy did as her father suggested and to her surprise, she fell in love with the challenge of her work, devoting 50 years of her professional career to advocating for patients and navigating evolving regulations.
After two years of working in admissions, Judy was transferred to working in the insurance department. Judy recalls the adjustment to working in insurance as having been difficult.
Judy was later promoted to a supervisory role and eventually became Director of Patient Accounts. She served in this role until 2019 and now is in the process of training others to fill her shoes.
Judy’s devotion to her work is admirable, showing that persistence and gumption go a long way in creating a lasting career.
Nell Warren
Nell is a Paulding native who graduated from South Side High School in Heidelberg.
She first began working in dietary at Jones County Community Hospital as a helper, where she prepped tube feeds for patients, worked in the dish room and worked in the food line.
“I have done pretty much everything except cook, I haven’t done any of that,” Nell said.
Today, Nell can be found in the physicians’ lounge at South Central Regional Medical Center, where she ensures that physicians are well taken care of nutritionally, while always offering a smile or words of encouragement.
“I love people,” Nell said. “I love being around people. I like to hug.”
Nell’s presence is a reminder that care is not only clinical, it is human.
Jodie Mancil
Jodie Mancil was born in Texas but lived abroad for thirteen years. Her father worked in the oil business and the company he worked for relocated her family to Sicily, Italy, and Tripoli, Libya. She even attended boarding school in Switzerland for a brief period, while her parents worked in Mozambique, Africa.
“My father asked to be transferred so that the family could be a unit again before my sister and I were grown and married; and they moved him from Africa to Soso, Mississippi,” Jodie said.
Jodie lived in the area and earned a bachelor’s degree in medical technology from the University of Southern Mississippi. She began working at Jones County Community Hospital in July 1975 as a medical technologist.
Throughout the years, she has become an integral member of the lab team. She has served as the blood bank supervisor for almost ten years, and in this role, she teaches students who come into the lab as part of their training.
“It is my calling from the Lord to teach, and I enjoy teaching,” Jodie said. “I enjoy helping others. If you look at it as a ministry, it is not a job. Some days are harder than others, but in the end the Lord has you here for a reason. I try to tell my students to bloom where they are planted, and I am planted here.”
Judy, Nell and Jodie’s stories teach us many lessons, but one lesson stands out among the rest — it is that perspective shapes purpose. For Judy, work brought fulfillment. For Nell, it brought connection. For Jodie, it became a mission field. When work is rooted in meaning, it becomes more than a job, it becomes a life calling.
MageeNews.com is the online news source for Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi
