Mississippi Today
Jackson County selects Catholic nonprofit as Singing River hospital’s new owner
Jackson County selects Catholic nonprofit as Singing River hospital's new owner
Jackson County's Board of Supervisors announced Monday it chose Louisiana Catholic nonprofit Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System to purchase the Gulf Coast's Singing River Health System.
The decision comes after an extensive proposal period in which potential buyers put in bids for the Mississippi hospital system. Singing River CEO Tiffany Murdock announced last year the 700-bed hospital system was seeking a buyer to put it on firmer footing for the future.
“This is an exciting day for Singing River Health System,” Murdock said in a statement. “Our future with the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System ensures that Singing River will be able to meet the needs of our employees, patients and community members for years to come. Together, we will build on the strong foundation Singing River has established since we first originated as Jackson County Hospital in 1931.”
While hospitals across Mississippi came out of the pandemic in the red, Singing River's finances were in decent shape, and it even grew its revenue in 2021. Murdock said she was pushing for a buyer while the system was an appealing investment, fearing the challenges in years to come.
“We're coming at it now at a place of strength,” Murdock told a community group in the town of Hurley in August 2022. “And in five years, I can't promise you the same thing.”
Hospitals have been facing increasing costs from labor to supplies. Rural Mississippi hospitals have been struggling to stay afloat. Singing River hopes that by teaming up with a larger system, they'll be able to better trim costs because of the scale at which purchases are made.
While not in danger of shuttering its doors like other hospitals in the state, Singing River hasn't been without its own challenges since seeking a buyer. Its Gulfport hospital recently suspended its labor and delivery services because of a physician staffing shortage.
The system says it wants to reopen obstetric care but it's unclear when that will happen. Its last day of service is April 1.
In its announcements about acquisition, Singing River said the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System is committed to “keeping care local, investing in our community and investing in our people.”
“We are excited about the possibilities for healthcare in our region and believe the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System is the right choice,” Jackson Board of Supervisors President Ken Taylor said in a statement. “Fundamentally, they share our community values and have a mission to provide equal access to healthcare for all.”
The Catholic system already operates St. Dominic Memorial Hospital in Jackson and nine facilities throughout Louisiana. Its headquarters are in Baton Rouge.
Singing River has hospitals in Gulfport, Ocean Springs and Pascagoula and several walk-in clinics and other medical facilities across the Coast.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi Today
Law enforcement officers’ oversight bill heads to governor’s desk
The Mississippi Senate passed legislation Monday to give the state's officer certification board the power to investigate law enforcement misconduct.
House Bill 691, the revised version of which passed the House Saturday, is now headed to the desk of Gov. Tate Reeves.
The bill comes in the wake of an investigation by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting at Mississippi Today and The New York Times into sheriffs and deputies across the state over allegations of sexual abuse, torture and corruption. The reporting also revealed how a “Goon Squad” of officers operated for two decades in Rankin County.
Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said if the governor signs the bill, he anticipates the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training would hire a few investigators to investigate matters and make recommendations.
The bill would enable the board to establish a hearing panel on any law enforcement officer “for whom the board believes there is a basis for reprimand, suspension, cancellation of, or recalling the certification of a law enforcement officer. The hearing panel shall provide its written findings and recommendations to the board.”
In addition, deputies, sheriffs and state law enforcement would join police officers in the requirement to have 20 hours of training each year. Those who fail to get such training could lose their certifications.
Other changes would take place as well. Each year, the licensing board would have to report on its activities to the Legislature and the governor.
The bill calls for a 13-member board with the governor having six appointments – two police chiefs, two sheriffs, a district attorney and the head of the law enforcement training academy.
Other members include the attorney general, the public safety commissioner, the head of the Highway Patrol, and the presidents of the police chiefs association, the constable association, the Mississippi Campus Law Enforcement Association and the sheriff's association (or designee).
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi Today
Legislators extend 2024 session after missing budget deadline
Legislative leaders are optimistic that they will be able to start passing bills to fund the $7-billion budget to fund state services on Tuesday.
“We will be rolling Tuesday and the day after I suppose,” said Senate Appropriations Chair Briggs Hopson, R-Vicksburg.
Late Monday the House and Senate agreed on a resolution to extend the session. Appropriations and revenue (taxes and borrowing) bills died Saturday night when House and Senate leaders could not reach agreement on a key deadline. The resolution approved Monday was needed to revive the bills.
The final day of the session was scheduled for Sunday, May 5. Now it is scheduled for May 14, but House Speaker Jason White, R-West, predicted Monday that the Legislature will finish its work this week, though leaders did concede there were still some “minor” disagreements between the House and Senate.
Under the resolution, the legislators – even though their work would be completed this week — will return on May 14 unless White and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann agree not to return.
Returning on May 14 would give the Legislature the opportunity address any possible vetoes by Gov. Tate Reeves. Lawmakers can override gubernatorial vetoes with a two-thirds vote of each chamber.
Asked Monday if an agreement had been reached on the revenue bills, Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, R-Brandon, who handles those proposals, said, “Gosh, I hope so. If not I am going holler a Jerry Clower for them to shoot up amongst us,” Harkins said referencing a skit by the Mississippi comic.
It took a two-thirds vote of both chambers to pass the resolution to extend the session. It passed unanimously in the House, but six members of the 52-member Senate voted no. Without the resolution, it most likely would require a special session called by Gov. Tate Reeves to pass budget bills and revenue bills.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi Today
Lawsuit in death of man following Jackson police encounter may be headed to trial
The family of George Robinson plans to move forward with a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Jackson and three former police officers after rejecting a nearly $18,000 settlement offer.
Attorney Dennis Sweet III made the intentions of Bettersten Wade, Robinson's sister, and Vernice Robinson, Robinson's mother, clear in a Thursday letter sent the day after the City Council approved a $17,786 payment to settle the family's 2019 lawsuit.
“This is more than anyone should have to endure. Much less have the City of Jackson tout the purported term of settlement as some sort of victory,” Sweet wrote in the letter. “Needless to say, no individual or party obtained a victory in this matter.”
The financial terms of the settlement and plaintiffs' identities were not supposed to be disclosed publicly and the council did not approve the settlement in executive session, Sweet said. According to Mississippi's open meeting law, any public body can enter executive session for a number of reasons, including for negotiations relating to litigation.
Sweet was not immediately available to comment Monday. Last week, he told WLBT he would take it to trial.
Council President Aaron Banks, who was also not immediately available for comment, said the settlement was freely negotiated among the parties and signed by Wade and Vernice Robinson, who had their attorneys with them, according to a Friday statement to the Clarion Ledger.
Banks disputed Sweet's claims that the city violated any terms of the settlement, such as a confidentiality agreement, saying the city didn't agree to one and that settlements are public records, according to the statement.
“The City intends to honor the agreement it reached and expects the Wade family to do so, also,” Banks said in the statement.
However, some city council members said after the meeting that they were not aware of a confidentiality agreement.
City Attorney Drew Martin declined to comment Monday.
All the parties met for mediation April 12. Sweet said that during the session, a representative from the city said it is in “financial straits and did not possess substantial funds in which to resolve Ms. Wade's claims against it.” The lawsuit complaint asked for a jury trial and damages to be determined by a jury.
Banks's statement did not address the attorney's claim about the city's finances.
Wade agreed during mediation to settle with ambulance provider American Medical Response and to allow the city to join that settlement and end litigation, according to Sweet's letter.
“Had AMR not agreed to a substantial settlement amount, Ms. Wade would not have settled with the City of Jackson,” he wrote in the letter.
The company settled for a different amount that was not disclosed, according to Sweet's letter.
As of Monday, electronic court filings for the lawsuit do not show that the judge has signed off on a settlement.
In January 2019, 62-year-old Robinson was pulled from a car and beaten by officers, leaving him with severe injuries. At the time, he was recovering from a stroke. Robinson died days later.
In 2022, former detective Anthony Fox was convicted culpable-negligence manslaughter for Robinson's death, while charges against officers Desmond Barney and Lincoln Lampley were dismissed a year earlier.
Fox was incarcerated until January when the Mississippi Supreme Court overturned his conviction and issued an acquittal, freeing him. Fox has returned to work for the Canton Police Department.
This isn't Wade's only loss and fraught experience with the city, Sweet said.
Last year, her son Dexter died after being hit by a car driven by an off-duty Jackson police officer. He was buried unidentified in the Hinds County pauper's field, despite having identification on him. His family did not know he was there until months later.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
-
Local News5 days ago
Sister of Mississippi man who died after police pulled him from car rejects lawsuit settlement
-
Mississippi Today5 days ago
At Lake High School in Scott County, the Un-Team will never be forgotten
-
Mississippi Today2 days ago
On this day in 1951
-
Mississippi News3 days ago
One injured in Mississippi officer-involved shooting after chase
-
Mississippi News6 days ago
Viewers make allegations against Hatley teacher, school district releases statement – Home – WCBI TV
-
Mississippi News Video5 days ago
Vehicle struck and killed man lying in the road, Alcorn County sheriff says
-
Mississippi News4 days ago
Ridgeland man sentenced for molesting girl
-
Mississippi News5 days ago
Suspected Dollar General armed robber arrested in Pickens County