1952

• First area hospital to establish a school for practical nurses

1968

• First area hospital to offer cobalt therapy to provide radiation therapy to cancer patients
• First area hospital to establish a Coronary Care Unit (CCU) for the specialized care of heart patients
• First area hospital to establish a Poison Control Center for prevention and treatment of accidental poisonings

1969

• First area hospital to establish an emergency helicopter service, now United States' longest continuously operating air ambulance service

1970

• First South Mississippi corneal transplant performed by Dr. Stoney Williamson, ophthalmologist.
• First area hospital to perform hearing tests on newborns

1971

• First South Mississippi renal dialysis
• First pacemaker implanted in region

1972

• First total hip surgery in area
• First area hospital to install Laminar Airflow System for reducing airborne contaminants

1973

• First area hospital to acquire a Pho-Gamma Scintillation camera for use in diagnosis and treatment of cancer
• First hospital to establish a chaplaincy program

1974

• First area hospital to establish a bacteriology laboratory

1975

• First area hospital to implement remote cardiac monitoring for cardiac patients in other South Mississippi hospitals

1976

• First hospital to transmit EKG signal via satellite, transmitted from an ambulance near Montgomery, Ala., to Forrest General's Emergency Services (broadcast by CBS and NBC)
• First area hospital to install a pacemaker via Swan-Ganz method (Dr. Ben Carmichael)
• First area hospital to open a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

1977

• First area hospital to install a CAT Scanner (computerized axial tomography)

1978

• First area hospital to open a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory

1980

• First arthroscopic surgery performed in area
• First Neonatal Transport Unit established

1982

• First area hospital to establish a "Stroke Team" for providing specialized care to stroke patients

1983

• First insulin pump used on patient by Dr. Phillip Rogers
• First use of telemetry (cardiac monitoring) by Dr. Tom Messer
• First area Rehabilitation Unit established

1984

• First Mississippi hospital to install an Argon-Krypton laser
• First Mississippi hospital to use a Nd:YAG unit
• First area hospital to acquire a CO2 laser

1985

• First cardiovascular surgery in area performed by Dr. David Stephens
• # First Sleep Disorders Center in area established

1986

• First angioplasty procedure performed in Forrest General Catheterization Laboratory by Dr. Gerald Lowrimore and Ben Carmichael
• First to establish extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for treatment of kidney stones
• First Mississippi tissue bank

1987

• First Mississippi hospital to offer laser angioplasty
• First area hospital to use linear accelerator for radiation therapy in cancer patients

1988

• First area hospital to install a permanent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit

1989

• First area hospital to establish a cardiac network for providing prompt treatment to heart attack victims in rural areas
• First area hospital to establish a Diabetes Care Center

1990

• First area hospital to offer a dedicated Inpatient Women's Unit

1991

• First area hospital to use 3-D imaging in Radiology Services

1992

• First neonatologist begins practicing in Forrest General's NICU (Dr. Clinton White)

1993

• First area hospital to offer a Mobile Mammography Unit for providing mammograms to women in their South Mississippi hometowns
• First neonatal surgery performed by Dr. Vinay Kumar on a two-pound infant

1995

• First area hospital to offer Strontium 89 for treating pain in cancer patients
• First to employ use of biofix, a bioabsorbable implant used in orthopedic surgeries (Dr. David Bomboy)
• First CO2 arteriogram performed by Dr. Ronald Young as an alternative to the conventional dye method
• First electrophysiology studies performed at Forrest General's Cardiac Center of Excellence
• First hospital to use rotablator heart catheterization (Dr. Thad Waites)

1996

• First area hospital to offer Stem Cell Transplanting as a treatment for cancer patients (Dr. Nagen Bellare) following a partnership with M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
• First hospital to offer Stereotactic Breast Biopsy as an alternative to surgical breast biopsies

1997

• First Neuroscience Center established
• First implantable defibrillator installed (Dr. Eric Enger)
• First area hospital to perform an off-pump open-heart surgery

1998

• First area hospital to perform microendoscopic discectomy (MED) for neurosurgical patients (Dr. Michael Fromke)
• First area hospital to offer the Vagus Nerve Stimulator for epilepsy patients (Dr. Wendell Helveston, Dr. Bernie McHugh and Dr. Fromke)
• First area hospital to provide 24-hour access to a centralized call center free to the general public (FGH OnCall)

1999

• First area hospital to offer transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) for patients suffering from angina (Dr. Robert Robbins)

2000

• First Mississippi hospital to offer the Angiojet procedure for cardiac patients (Dr. Thad Waites)

2001

• First in South Mississippi to use brachytherapy, a procedure to prevent renarrowing of a previously treated artery, on cardiology patients
• First in Mississippi to offer the NOGA Mapping System to more easily determine which patients are appropriate for heart surgery

2002

• First hospital in South Mississippi to use new high-definition 3-D imaging in obstetrical and intracranial medical diagnoses
• First hospital in South Mississippi to use a new minimally-invasive medical procedure to help treat spine fractures caused by osteoporosis (Dr. David Lee)
• First in Mississippi to offer Advantx LCA/LP+ imaging system to diagnose problems related to the vascular system

2003

• First South Mississippi hospital to use new FDA-approved drug-coated stent in blood vessels around the heart, lessening the risk of scar tissue forming a reblockage

2004

• First in region to implement new Stryker 1088 HD cameras in operating rooms
• First in Pine Belt to offer 16-slice computed tomography
• Cardiologists among the first in the United States to receive training on the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved Filterwire EX Embolic Protection System

2005

• First in South Mississippi to Implement Computerized Physician Order Entry System
• First in state to offer 64-slice computed tomography
• First annual Forrest General Spirit of Women Day of Dance event held
• First South Mississippi hospital to implement Palliative Care program - Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)

2006

• First in Pine Belt to join the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's landmark National Campaign to Save 100,000 Lives
• First and only Hospital in the State to Offer Developmental Care Program for Newborn Intensive Care
• First in Mississippi to offer Signa EXCITE High Definition 3Tesla MRI scanner
• First hospital in state designated a HeartCaring-certified hospital
• Only hospital in South Mississippi to be designated a UnitedHealth Premium cardiac specialty center

2009

• Several physicians from Pine Grove Behavioral Health are among the first physicians in the U.S. certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM)
• First group of physicians inducted into the Forrest General Doctors Hall of Fame
• First in south Mississippi (and only the second in the state) to achieve disease-specific certification as an Advanced Primary Stroke Care Center by the Joint Commission