Mississippi News
Greenwood Leflore Hospital forced to transfer, discharge patients
Greenwood hospital transfers, discharges patients and closes clinics following sewage problem
The financially struggling Greenwood Leflore Hospital on Monday moved hospital patients to other facilities and closed clinics as the result of a โdefective sewage line,โ the hospital announced in a Facebook post.ย
It’s unclear how many total patients were moved and discharged. Ten people, including those in the hospital’s ICU, were transferred to the University of Mississippi Medical Center Grenada, about 45 minutes away, said Marc Rolph, a spokesman for UMMC.ย
Mississippi MED-COM, the emergency communications center housed at UMMC, assisted inย finding beds elsewhere for the admitted patients at the 208-bed hospital.ย
A hospital employee who spoke to Mississippi Today on the condition that her name not be used said there has been an “extremely foul odor filling the elevators and certain other areas in the hospital” for several days now.
The hospital’s official announcements offered few details about the problem.ย
โGreenwood Leflore Hospital continues to experience a hospital-wide issue with a defective sewage line,โ the hospital posted on Facebook after 4 p.m. Monday. โCurrently we are discharging or transferring all inpatients.ย For the safety of our patients and staff, until further notice we are canceling surgeries and outpatient testing.โ
In the first post about the issue, around mid-morning, the hospital said it was โassessing the situation with our inpatients.โ
Hospital spokeswoman Christine Hemphill did not immediately return a call requesting comment Monday night.ย
Dr. Roderick Givens, who practices radiation oncology at the hospital, was among the doctors whose clinics were forced to close because of the sewage issue. He said that hospital leadership had told a group of physicians in a briefing around lunch time that the problem was a leak somewhere underneath the hospital, which hadn’t been located as of the briefing.ย
โThey’re closing the hospital until that can be located, contained and everybody’s safe, because obviously you don’t want to have a hospital facility that’s got the odor as well as the potential hazard from a bacteria with a sewer line potentially affecting inpatients as well as outpatients,โ he said.
The Greenwood Commonwealth reported earlier Monday that the hospital said it did not have a timeline for reopening.ย
One facet of the sewage problem was a blockage that also affected surrounding streets. Eddie Curry, the former director of Greenwood Wastewater Treatment, was at the hospital Monday to help out. He said the crew used a high-pressure hose to clear the pipe blockage. Then workers used a vacuum truck to clean some of the debris and waste left behind.ย
โGrease or rags, and or anything could get here and build up in the mouth of that pipe and it could stop it, won’t let it flow,โ he said. โBut once you take the sewage truck, go in and put water pressure to it, it unclogs it. You may not have trouble for the next three or four years.โ
Curry said as far as he was concerned, the problem was fixed when he left in the afternoon.ย
Eddie Payne, the current Wastewater Treatment Director, said he wasn’t aware of a leak underneath the hospital. Sewage or dirty water may have backed up while the pipes were blocked, requiring clean-up work after the blockage was cleared.ย
The relationship between the blockage and the hospital’s closure was not clear Monday night, but a leak may have been caused by pressure building up in the pipes as a result of the blockage.ย
Givens said his patients’ treatment won’t be interrupted if the hospital closure lasts a few days or so.
โIf it’s a long-term problem then we’ll have to look at some other measures, for example if we have to get them treated at another facility or something like that,โ he said. โBut I’m anticipating that we should be back and up and running within a couple of days.โ
The hospital, which is jointly owned by Leflore County and the city of Greenwood, laid off 30 people in May to offset losses during the pandemic. It announced in June that it is in talks with UMMC on a joint operation agreement.ย
โGLH began the process of seeking affiliation partners as the hospital emerged from the Delta and Omicron waves of the pandemic,โ the hospital said in a press release. โAffiliation, particularly with a larger system like UMMC, the state‘s only academic medical center and largest hospital, can result in cost efficiencies that are necessary to attain sustainable operations over the long term.โ
In July, CEO Jason Studley resigned.
Kate Royals contributed reporting.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi News
Dollar General vehicle theft leads to two arrests in Tupelo
SUMMARY: In Tupelo, Mississippi, 19-year-old Joshua James and a juvenile face charges related to a police pursuit and the theft of a police car. James is charged with Directing a Felony to Be Committed by a Person Under Seventeen, Grand Larceny, and Felony Fleeing, with a bond set at $100,000. The incident began on November 1 when police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle. After a chase that ended when the stolen truck crashed south of Verona, James was apprehended, while his juvenile passenger fled in a police car, which was later found wrecked. The juvenile’s case will be handled in Youth Court.
For 24/7 news and updates, follow us onย Facebookย andย X.
The post Dollar General vehicle theft leads to two arrests in Tupelo appeared first on www.wcbi.com
Mississippi News
Lowndes Co. Supervisors talk storm safety for certain areas
SUMMARY: The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors has secured funding to construct storm shelters in Crawford, Artesia, and Plum Grove, areas lacking local shelter during severe weather. Each community will receive four FEMA-funded shelters, accommodating up to 20 people each, on government property at a total cost of $103,692, with FEMA contributing $93,000. The supervisors anticipate these shelters will significantly enhance safety for residents during storms. Vice President Jeff Smith highlighted their importance, expressing relief for community members who have long awaited a secure refuge. While installation timelines remain unclear, the project is expected to proceed soon.
The post Lowndes Co. Supervisors talk storm safety for certain areas appeared first on www.wcbi.com
Mississippi News
News anchor dropped after social media post telling Trump-haters supporting Harris: ‘Stay home, donโt vote’
SUMMARY: David “Dave” Elliott, a local news anchor for WLOX in Biloxi for nearly 40 years, was fired after expressing political views on social media. He revealed on Facebook that his termination was due to his political opinions, specifically mentioning a video 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 manager about his dismissal was brief, and the topic of social media was raised. WLOX’s management declined to comment on the matter.
The post News anchor dropped after social media post telling Trump-haters supporting Harris: ‘Stay home, don’t vote’ appeared first on www.foxnews.com
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