Tallahatchie General Hospital stands to receive more than three-quarters of a million dollars in emergency funding if the governor signs a pair of bills passed last week by the state Legislature.
The Mississippi Hospital Grant Program, established under Senate Bill 2372 and funded by House Bill 271, would distribute a total of $103.7 million to 110 of the state’s hospitals.
Under a funding formula, the Charleston hospital would be getting an estimated $785,440 from the program.
Language in the Senate bill states that the purpose of the measure is to “strengthen, improve and preserve access to Mississippi hospital care services ... in recognition of the challenges incurred by Mississippi hospitals as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic ...”
TGH Chief Executive Officer Jim Blackwood said Tuesday that the funding will, indeed, provide a nice shot in the arm to the county-owned medical facility.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the Legislature’s effort to help cover some of the expenses TGH has faced since COVID began,” he noted. “Our revenues are just now getting back to what they were before 2020, while our payroll and labor costs have skyrocketed.”
TGH CEO Jim Blackwood
Blackwood explained that, just like it has adversely impacted other sectors of the economy, “inflation has driven up the prices we pay for supplies, food, gas and even medical equipment.”
The administrator noted that the legislative package will not get TGH back to a pre-COVID financial footing, but it is welcome nonetheless.
“While this money won’t put us back to where we were in 2019, every bit helps, and we’re extremely grateful for it,” he concluded.
The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, a national policy center that tracks the financial health of rural hospitals across the U.S., has estimated that 28 — almost 40% — of Mississippi’s 74 rural hospitals are in danger of closing over the next six years, and 19 of them within the next three years.
The Legislature’s funding package will buy time for some of the critically ailing facilities, but Tim Moore, president of the Mississippi Hospital Association, told Mississippi Today that grants are not the cure-all.
“The solution has not changed,” Moore said. “Payer issues and the burden of uncompensated care must be addressed. The Mississippi hospital system that provides care to all Mississippians costs $23 million a day to operate. Any sustainable business model must generate adequate revenues to cover expenses. Hospitals are no exception. If a longterm solution is not developed, access to care will decline and fewer services will be offered at local community hospitals.”
Mississippi is one of 10 states still refusing to accept the Medicaid coverage expansion offered under the Affordable Care Act, aka “Obamacare.” That refusal is said to be costing the state more than $1 billion each year in additional federal funding for health care.
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Estimated funds that would be distributed to area hospitals under the state grant program are as follows:
» Baptist Memorial Hospital - North Mississippi in Oxford, $1,427,248
» Delta Health - Northwest Regional in Clarksdale, $1,356,368
» Greenwood Leflore Hospital in Greenwood, $924,222
» North Mississippi Specialty Hospital in Batesville, $500,000
» North Sunflower Medical Center in Ruleville, $818,911
» Panola Medical Center in Batesville, $814,013
» Quitman County Hospital in Marks, $799,222
» University of Mississippi Medical Center - Grenada, $1,279,582
» Yalobusha General Hospital in Water Valley, $351,191
In making the payments, the Legislature is using some of the funds the state received under the American Rescue Plan Act, a COVID-19 stimulus package.
Gov. Tate Reeves’ decisions on the House and Senate hospital funding bills are due by April 20.
UPDATE: The office of Gov. Tate Reeves announced in an April 17 press release that the governor had signed both Senate Bill 2372 and House Bill 271. The governor said, “These bills represent major wins for Mississippi’s healthcare system. Mississippians deserve access to high-quality healthcare options across the state. That’s why I signed these bills which help to strengthen hospitals across our state, ensure quality care is available for Mississippians, and dramatically expand efforts to retain and attract new medical professionals. We’ll continue making investments into a healthier Mississippi.”
