Robert McBeth is the new administrator at Covenant Health and Rehab of Picayune with 24 years of healthcare experience under his belt.

McBeth was named the facility’s administrator in January after holding several administrator positions in the past. Since 2006, he’s served as administrator at various health facilities in Mississippi, including Stone County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Ocean Springs Nursing Center and the Sunplex Subacute Center in Ocean Springs.

McBeth said it was a mutual decision to become the administrator at Covenant Health and Rehab of Picayune.

“The facility and I decided to work together and since then everybody’s been really nice here, including the community in general,” McBeth said.

McBeth began his healthcare career as a paramedic after completing a program at Forrest General Hospital. Throughout his career, McBeth has held several positions in the healthcare industry, including working in a crisis intervention program at a local hospital.

“I’ve been trying to do everything to get better at what I do,” McBeth said.

However, he finds being an administrator even more rewarding.

“When you’re in management, you’re dealing with the facility and the patients. Instead of taking care of a couple of patients, I’m responsible for 118 people,” McBeth said.

McBeth oversees daily operations at Covenant Health and Rehab of Picayune. The facility provides skilled nursing and rehabilitation services for patients seeking either short or long-term care.

One of his biggest goals is to expand the center’s transitional care unit, which serves to rehabilitate patients.

While the transitional care unit was remodeled a few years ago, the facility is working with local hospitals to implement care pathways, which is a set of standardized treatment plans to provide special care for patients with a specific diagnosis, McBeth said.

“Our main goal is to get our patients back at their highest level of function and give them a higher quality of life,” McBeth said.

He currently resides in Wiggins with his wife and three children.