Over half of Mississippi’s rural hospitals risk closing

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG
Associated Press/Report for America

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s leading public health official says over half of the state’s rural hospitals are at risk of closing immediately or in the near future. State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney spoke to state senators at a Monday hearing about the financial pressure on Mississippi hospitals. Edney says 38 rural hospitals could close. That would be 54% of the state’s total number of rural hospitals. The potential closures threaten to exacerbate poor health outcomes in one of the nation’s poorest states. Experts at the hearing say the crux of the problem facing Mississippi’s hospitals is that revenues have not kept pace with rising costs to provide care.