Mississippi Today
Greenwood Leflore Hospital hits another roadblock in struggle to stay open
A financially struggling Delta hospital received another bit of bad news: its application for a federal designation that would bring in more money has been initially denied.
The regional Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services office in Atlanta has declined to designate the Greenwood hospital as a critical access hospital, according to a letter the agency sent to interim CEO Gary Marchand on Aug. 24.
Leaders of the hospital, which is co-owned by the city and county, have long been counting on the hospital’s conversion to increase its financial viability — critical access hospitals are reimbursed by Medicare at a higher rate. The hospital is currently classified as an acute care facility.
Marchand has repeatedly called the application their “plan A.”
But all hope is not lost — despite the regional office’s denial, Marchand is still counting on the national CMS office in Washington D.C. approving the hospital’s application.
He shared in an internal email to staff sent Aug. 30 that even with recommendations from the state Health Department and a regional Medicare administrative contractor to convert the hospital into a critical access hospital, a review by the CMS regional office did not yield the same results.
Marchand stressed the decision wasn’t a surprise.
“We expected the Regional Office of CMS to review the application without considering the full scope of the arguments for its approval,” he said.
Critical access hospitals must be located 35 miles from the nearest hospital. South Sunflower County Hospital in Indianola is just 28 miles away from Greenwood Leflore Hospital. The regional CMS office cited the hospital’s proximity to nearby hospitals as cause for the application’s rejection.
Marchand’s argument for waiving that requirement was that transportation issues plague the Delta — many of the hospital’s patients struggle to make their appointments because they don’t have a way to get there.
This doesn’t mean the conversion is out of the question, though. The hospital’s application is still being considered by the national CMS office, Marchand said.
“We have always expected the final decision would be made in the national office, and Congressman (Bennie) Thompson and Senators (Roger) Wicker and (Cindy) Hyde-Smith and fully engaged and supportive of the GLH application,” he says in the internal email, before noting that he doesn’t not expect a final answer from the federal agency before the end of the year.
The pandemic has left the hospital in financial straits this past year, and stakeholders are exhausting all options to keep the facility open. Aside from the critical access hospital application, hospital leadership has also closed several departments and services, including neurosurgery and labor and delivery.
After a potential lease agreement fell through last year, the hospital went up for lease again recently.
Greenwood hospital leaders have also applied for grants from the Legislature, but as of August, no hospitals in the state have received that money.
They desperately need it — one report puts nearly half of the state’s rural hospitals at risk of closure.
The longer the state goes without Medicaid expansion, the more dire the situation becomes, Greenwood Mayor Carol McAdams previously told Mississippi Today.
In the meantime, leaders are still accepting bidders to buy or lease the hospital and save it from closure.
Marchand says the hospital can stay open until 2024. After that, its future is unclear.
“Critical access status remains key to the hospital’s ability to provide services over the long term,” Marchand said. “We remain hopeful of the application’s final approval by CMS’s National Office.”
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. -
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. -
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. -
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. -
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. -
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. -
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. -
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. -
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. -
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. -
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.
The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.
“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”
Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.
Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.
Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.
Stream all episodes here.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.
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