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Greenwood Leflore: County, city commit $9 million for hospital

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County, city commit $9 million for Greenwood hospital, but cuts still loom

The city of Greenwood and Leflore County have put up a total of $9 million in a last-minute effort to save Greenwood Leflore Hospital, a key provider and economic engine for the Delta.

The financially struggling hospital has been negotiating with the over a lease agreement since the summer. A key sticking point in the talks was Greenwood Leflore’s outstanding debts to Medicare and the funds necessary for deferred maintenance on hospital facilities. UMMC did not want to be responsible for those costs after any transition.ย 

But now, Greenwood and Leflore County have each approved a $4.5 million letter of credit, for a total of $9 million in local financial support to pave the way for UMMC to take over hospital operations.ย 

With negotiations stalled, UMMC told Greenwood Leflore they would not be able to complete lease agreement documents in time for the year’s last scheduled meeting of the Institutions of Higher Learning, which needs to approve any agreement, the Greenwood Commonwealth reported earlier this . Interim Gary Marchand told hospital employees in a memo Tuesday that the hospital will need to make additional cuts in order to stay open through the end of the year, and it still may have to close its doors before then.ย 

The funding from the city and county doesn’t on its own speed up the timeline for a resolution, but it does appear to a barrier to an eventual agreement.ย 

Leflore County Supervisor and Board President Robert Collins told Mississippi that hospital leadership had made bad decisions for years, like excessively expensive contracts with physicians, redundant administrative positions, and too many staff for the number of patients they were serving.ย 

โ€œWe just could never get a meeting with them to sit down and about it,โ€ Collins said of the hospital. โ€œThe situation’s been going down here for the last 10 years or more โ€ฆ We had a consultant and tell us four years ago, if we stayed on the course that we was on, we’d be broke in four years, and they were right.โ€

But the hospital is so critical to its community that Collins said his support for the funding was an obvious choice. People who don’t have transportation need a health care facility nearby, and people without insurance can rely on the hospital for critical care. If the hospital were to close, people might wind up being airlifted to Memphis.ย 

โ€œAnd if they do have to have a helicopter ride, they’ll be in debt the rest of their lives,โ€ Collins said. โ€œIt’s just so important that we have health care here in Greenwood, Mississippi.โ€

Marchand told hospital employees in a memo Friday morning, before the county supervisors met and approved a letter of credit for the hospital, that the city had approved โ€œa funding commitmentโ€ to support the lease agreement with UMMC.

โ€œWith sufficient funding in place to resolve several key challenges, we will be meeting with UMMC’s Executive Leadership to assess the status of our negotiations and the potential for a transaction date in early 2023,โ€ he wrote.ย 

The hospital said it would make decisions on service cuts and other potential cost-saving measures by next week.ย 

Though the last scheduled meeting of the IHL board in 2022 is Nov. 17, UMMC could ask the board to hold a special meeting to approve any agreement with Greenwood Leflore. That would allow the board to vote as soon as the agreement is ready, rather than waiting until January. But Patrice Guilfoyle, communications director for the hospital, said there are no plans to do that.ย 

When Mississippi Today followed up to ask why not, spokesman Marc Rolph said, โ€œWe have no comment on that question.โ€

Collins said he wants to make sure local leaders understand what services UMMC plans to maintain if it does take over Greenwood Leflore. County leaders have a Zoom call scheduled with UMMC next week, he said, the first time they’ll talk directly with the prospective new operator.ย 

โ€œWe welcome UMC,โ€ he said. โ€œWe welcome them to come. We just want to make sure that we have an to sit down and talk with them.โ€

The letter of credit approved by the county does not specify that UMMC must be the entity that takes over Greenwood Leflore and could be used to support an agreement with any partner.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

News anchor dropped after social media post telling Trump-haters supporting Harris: ‘Stay home, donโ€™t vote’

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www.foxnews.com – – 2024-11-04 11:51:00

SUMMARY: David “Dave” Elliott, a local anchor for in for nearly 40 years, was fired after expressing political views on social . He revealed on Facebook that his termination was due to his political opinions, specifically mentioning a where he advised people not to vote out of hatred for Donald Trump. Elliott characterized his social media posts as satire, distinguishing them from his professional work. He noted that the discussion with his station’s general about his dismissal was brief, and the topic of social media was raised. WLOX’s management declined to comment on the matter.

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Mississippi News

National Women’s March held in Tupelo brings locals together

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www.wcbi.com – Kaleb Green – 2024-11-02 22:19:00

SUMMARY: The Women’s March in , Mississippi, joined national marches advocating for women’s rights, coinciding with in Washington D.C. and other . Organized by Indivisible Northeast Mississippi, the march influential speakers who emphasized the importance of personal autonomy and women’s involvement in societal issues. Participants expressed gratitude for the ‘s significance in a small town, with speakers urging women to fight for their rights and control their own bodies. The message for young women included themes of independence and empowerment, encouraging them to pursue their goals bravely. The Tupelo march was part of a larger movement encompassing similar events in and Hattiesburg.

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Mississippi News

‘Get Out to Vote’ rally encourages citizens to cast their ballots

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www.wcbi.com – Khamari Haymer – 2024-11-02 20:01:00

SUMMARY: Elected in Columbus, Mississippi, are promoting voter participation ahead of election day through a โ€œGet Out to Voteโ€ rally hosted by Representative Kabir Karriem and District Supervisor Leroy Brooks. The provided food and drinks while emphasizing the significance of exercising rights. Karriem stressed the importance of voting, stating every citizen should participate. Brooks, reflecting on the historical struggles for voting rights, underscored that voting should be a natural part of civic engagement. The rally took place in front of the Lowndes County Courthouse, encouraging community members to take action.

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