Mississippi hospital leaders have been begging for help for months, and the Legislature has answered the call — though some advocates and lawmakers say it’s not nearly enough, reports Mississippi Today.
Both chambers on Tuesday approved a $103.7 million grant program that will be split by Mississippi’s struggling hospitals.
The pandemic weakened the state’s already-stressed health care infrastructure — costs for supplies and workers went up, and reimbursements from insurance providers did not. Many of the state’s hospitals have been bleeding out for the past few years, shutting floors and service lines one by one.
Now, a third of Mississippi’s rural hospitals are at risk of closure, and half of those within a couple of years. It’s a situation poised to worsen health outcomes in a state with already some of the worst in the country. Read more.
