Mississippi Today

Jackson leaders insist city water is safe to drink. Some mothers struggle to trust them.

Published

2 years ago

July 6, 2023

As federal and city officials continue to work to assure residents the water flowing from the troubled Jackson system is safe to drink, distrust among many capital city residents — particularly mothers and caregivers of small children — runs deep.

Regular boil water notices, lack of consistent water pressure and concerns about the safety of drinking the water even when there is not an active boil water notice are commonplace in Mississippi’s largest city.

Multiple federal lawsuits about the city’s recent water quality are pending, and the U.S. Department of Justice last fall acknowledged several major water system problems, including an acknowledgment that the city had consistently not met federal safe water standards. And since 2016, the city has mailed residents quarterly warnings that pregnant women and small children, who are most susceptible to lead poisoning, should follow state and federal safety guidelines before drinking the water.

In recent days, Ted Henifin, the federal appointee to manage the city’s water system, argued that those city notices are no longer necessary after years of clean water tests. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has for months publicly repeated the refrain that the water is safe to drink.

In mid-June, while reiterating the water is safe to drink, Lumumba joined officials at the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center to publicly announce a $100,000 donation to provide water filters specifically for pregnant women and with children under the age of 5.

Meanwhile, many caregivers across the city struggle to trust that the water flowing from the pipes is safe to give their loved ones.

“It’s hard in every way,” said Mary Rooks, a mother of four children under 10, who runs “JXN Motherhood,” an Instagram account that connects mothers across the capital city. “There are so many costs when your children are young … We pay a water bill, so you wouldn’t think you’d have to add an additional cost with water … There are so many factors of mom guilt. You just want to be the best parent of your child — bathing is a pretty simple necessity, and you’re like, ‘Can I bathe them in this water?’”

Rooks says that other parents, including parents of newborns, reached out to her during and after the 2022 Jackson water crisis, which left residents without safe tap water for weeks, to ask about how to handle various water concerns — many of which would likely not even occur to non-parents.

Even after the city-wide crisis passed, a friend with a newborn texted Rooks to ask if it was safe to wash baby bottles in the city’s water. She told them that she thought it should be fine, but the question was indicative of larger struggles parents of young children and babies have faced and continue to face.

“It’s nuts, all the implications that it has,” she said. “Anyone without children wouldn’t have a category for (the difficulties), which is fine — they haven’t been there. But washing bottles is taxing in and of itself, and then add I’m washing bottles with bottled water? It’s ridiculous.

“There’s a lot of responsibilities and hardships of parenthood, and then such a simple thing of water added to that makes it so much more complicated,” Rooks continued. “We pay for water, so it’s like one of those things where we feel like it’s a right as a citizen to have access to clean water, not only for ourselves, but for our families … It’s a simple thing, but when it’s taken away it’s a huge stress added on top of all the million ways you question yourself as a parent.”

‘The baby is extraordinarily susceptible’

During the August 2022 water crisis, some parents used unique methods to ensure their children had safe water to bathe in.

Maisie Brown started the MS Student Water Crisis Advocacy Team with more than 20 other students at Jackson State University, where she is now a rising senior. The organization — organized almost immediately after Gov. Tate Reeves announced that the city would be without clean, running water “indefinitely” — delivered bottled water to people’s homes.

Though Brown says that the majority of the calls she received were from elderly and/or disabled people, she estimates that roughly 30% of the calls were from mothers of young children. These mothers were hesitant to use the water for bathing or making formula for their babies, even after boiling it.

“You don’t want to put your baby in some water that might have bacteria or microbes in it,” Brown said. “(Adults) barely want to wash our hands with it.”

To help parents with bathing small children, some donation-based organizations like the MS Student Water Crisis Advocacy Team, asked people to donate not only bottled water, but also baby wipes and products like shower bags, which would allow people to freshen up without fully immersing themselves in contaminated water.

One week, Brown says her organization got a call from a disabled mother of several young children. When a volunteer arrived, she saw that the home was surrounded with buckets that were full of rainwater. The mother had been collecting the rainwater and, after boiling it, used it to bathe her children and flush toilets. She was more comfortable using boiled rainwater than she was using boiled water out of the faucet.

Maisie Brown, right, delivers water to a Jackson resident on Sept. 1, 2022. Credit: Rory Doyle/Deep Indigo Collective for Mississippi Today

This mother’s continued concerns are not unique, as some parents fear that contaminants in the tap water will be absorbed through their child’s skin.

Dr. Christina Glick is a neonatologist who runs Mississippi Lactation Services, a free-standing breast-feeding clinic in Jackson. She estimates that about 70% to 80% of her clients live in the capital city. Glick says that breastfeeding is “the greatest protection against a crisis like this.”

The people who would be most negatively affected by drinking contaminated water are immunocompromised people and newborn babies. Even if a mother were to get sick from drinking the water herself, Glick says that breastfeeding filters the majority of contaminants out of the milk that babies drink.

Her major concern is for mothers who use formula to feed their babies.

“If the water isn’t clean, the baby is extraordinarily susceptible to even very small amounts of contaminants. It could make them very sick,” she said.

Globally, diarrhea is the second leading cause of death for children under the age of 5. According to the CDC, “about 88% of diarrhea-associated deaths are due to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and insufficient hygiene.”

Despite breastfeeding being the safest option for those who are still concerned about the cleanliness of the water, it is not without issue, nor is it feasible for all parents and caregivers.

The water is ‘yucky’

Nakeitra Burse, owner of Six Dimensions, a public health research, development and practice agency, said that her major concerns with the water crises are how they impact breastfeeding mothers and people who are expecting.

Burse says that not having adequate access to clean, drinkable water could impact mothers’ milk supply. Dehydration can lead to reduced milk supply and to serious pregnancy complications. Water is essential for life at all stages, but it is especially vital when developing a new life, she said.

“For pregnant or postpartum mothers, (water) is really, really important to them being able to provide for their families, provide for their babies, provide for themselves and do whatever they need to produce the milk they need,” she said.

Because babies have such sensitive skin, Burse says she understands parents’ hesitation to use contaminated water for bathing. Not knowing what’s in the water could potentially have long term impacts for infants, she said.

Laurie Bertram Roberts is the executive director and co-founder of the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund. She is also a mother, grandmother and Jacksonian. Her granddaughter, who is a toddler, has never taken a bath in the capital city’s water. She and her family filter her granddaughter’s bathing water through a device that removes lead.

Bertram Roberts says that many of the expectant people with whom she works are already hesitant to use the water in any capacity because “the water looks gross, it smells gross and who the heck wants to put that in their body when they’re carrying a baby to term?”

But, she says, concerns go beyond those for expectant people and young children. Caregivers, in general — those who are helping care for elderly or disabled people — also have reasons to be wary of the water, especially if they are dealing with ailments like bed sores that make them more susceptible to infection.

Her own daughters have eczema, a skin condition that affects nearly 20% of African-American people. According to a 2019 study, Black and Hispanic children are more likely to miss school due to eczema. Bertram Roberts says that her daughters are hesitant to bathe using Jackson’s water in fear of exacerbating their eczema.

For Rooks, it was difficult to explain to her children that they should be drinking water, but that not all water was safe to drink. She and her husband explained to the children that the water was “yucky” and not safe for bathing because the children might potentially get the water in their mouths, or drinking, which led to cognitive dissonance when the family traveled out of town.

“My 7-year-old, he was 5 and 6 at the time, he was pretty receptive,” she said. “But he did think it was weird. We were traveling and getting water out of the sink, and he was like, ‘Why can we drink this water, but we can’t drink the water at home?’”

One of her younger children struggled with the water messaging even more.

“He was utterly confused,” she said. ‘Like, ‘You always tell me to drink more water and now you’re telling me not to drink water?’”

‘Compound issues’ pile up

Though the citywide water crisis has ended, concerns about the long term viability of the city’s water, specifically for young children and expectant mothers, continue. MSDH has issued recommendations for such households including running tap water for one to two minutes before drinking or cooking, not using hot tap water for drinking or cooking and using only filtered or bottled water for baby formula.

But Bertram Roberts thinks that many people, including young children and expectant people, are “probably drinking it anyway because the public health messaging in this city has been inadequate.”

“I think about all of these compound issues because people a lot of time look at it from one issue, like it’s just the lead or it’s just bacteria,” Bertram Roberts said. “But it’s all of those risks and then it’s … with the compound issues of medical racism and lack of health care and issues with access to assistance programs and unemployment issues. All of these compound issues that build on top of, like, just this water issue that make it so much more of a risk and a crisis.”

She notes that many people were unaware about the potential for lead in the water until the lawsuit two years ago — despite the fact that MSDH had acknowledged potential lead concerns about five years prior. She’s also concerned that, though all people should be wary of lead exposure, most of the warnings are only for pregnant people or young children.

The CDC notes that “exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Very high lead exposure can cause death.”

Ted Henifin, the City of Jackson’s water system third-party administrator, speaks about the company that will be running the city’s water treatment plant operations during a press conference at Hinds Community College in Jackson on Feb. 24, 2023. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today

At a court status conference in June, Henifin, the city’s water system administrator, repeatedly said that the water is safe for everyone, including pregnant mothers and young children. If anything, he said, filters recently provided to pregnant and expecting mothers could make the water less safe if residents don’t change the filters out every four months, which could cause bacteria to build up.

Still, some don’t want to take any chances with their loved ones. Bertram Roberts says that many of the people with whom she works have only been told not to use the water for making formula, but not that their young children should also avoid drinking the water. Even when parents do know to keep their children from drinking the water, she says people should be cognizant of the added costs parents must incur to be able to do so.

“A lot of parents don’t let their kids drink Jackson water, but think of the expense that is to keep up bottled water for a family on SNAP, a big family. It’s expensive to keep up bottled water for thirsty kids,” she said.

Rooks’ family ultimately ended up installing a reverse osmosis device on their kitchen sink. The device is not a solution to ensuring the safety of water from other sources, like bathroom sinks or bathtub spouts, but it does help in making sure the children have access to at least one clean, safe water source. Rooks also recognizes that not everyone can afford to modify their drinking situation.

“Not everybody can do that,” she said. But it is providing comfort to her to know that her children are a bit safer. “Now they can just drink out of this one little spout. We’ve definitely adjusted, but I hate it’s an adjustment that we have to make.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC hospital madison county

Published

3 days ago

June 13, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-06-13 11:23:00

by Gwen Dilworth, Mississippi Today
June 13, 2025

The University of Mississippi Medical Center has acquired Canton-based Merit Health Madison and is preparing to move a pediatric clinic to Madison, continuing a trend of moving services to Jackson’s suburbs.

The 67-bed hospital, now called UMMC Madison, will provide a wide range of community hospital services, including emergency services, medical-surgical care, intensive care, cardiology, neurology, general surgery and radiology services. It also will serve as a training site for medical students, and it plans to offer OB-GYN care in the future.

“As Mississippi’s only academic medical center, we must continue to be focused on our three-part mission to educate the next generation of health care providers, conduct impactful research and deliver accessible high-quality health care,” Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMMC’s vice chancellor of health affairs, said in a statement. “Every decision we make is rooted in our mission.”

The new facility will help address space constraints at the medical center’s main campus in Jackson by freeing up hospital beds, imaging services and operating areas, said Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for health affairs.

UMMC physicians have performed surgeries and other procedures at the hospital in Madison since 2019. UMMC became the full owner of the hospital May 1 after purchasing it from Franklin, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems.

The Batson Kids Clinic, which offers pediatric primary care, will move to the former Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine location in Madison. This space will allow the medical center to offer pediatric primary care and specialty services and resolve space issues that prevent the clinic from adding new providers, according to Institutions of Higher Learning board minutes.

A UMMC spokesperson did not respond to questions about the services that will be offered at the clinic or when it will begin accepting patients.

The Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine, a pediatric subspecialty clinic, closed last year as a result of a settlement in a seven-year legal battle between the clinic and UMMC in a federal trade secrets lawsuit.

The changes come after the opening of UMMC’s Colony Park South clinic in Ridgeland in February. The clinic offers a range of specialty outpatient services, including surgical services. Another Ridgeland UMMC clinic, Colony Park North, will open in 2026.

The expansion of UMMC clinical services to Madison County has been criticized by state lawmakers and Jackson city leaders. The medical center does not need state approval to open new educational facilities. Critics say UMMC has used this exemption to locate facilities in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods outside Jackson while reducing services in the city.

UMMC did not respond to a request for comment about its movement of services to Madison County.

UMMC began removing clinical services this year from Jackson Medical Mall, which is in a majority-Black neighborhood with a high poverty rate. The medical center plans to reduce its square footage at the mall by about 75% in the next year.

The movement of health care services from Jackson to the suburbs is a “very troubling trend” that will make it more difficult for Jackson residents to access care, Democratic state Sen. John Horhn, who will become Jackson’s mayor July 1, previously told Mississippi Today.

Lawmakers sought to rein in UMMC’s expansion outside Jackson this year by passing a bill that would require the medical center to receive state approval before opening new educational medical facilities in areas other than the vicinity of its main campus and Jackson Medical Mall. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed the legislation, saying he opposed an unrelated provision in the bill.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC hospital madison county 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: Center-Left

The article presents a primarily factual report on UMMC’s expansion into Madison County, outlining the medical center’s services and strategic decisions while including critiques from Democratic leaders and local officials about the suburban shift. The inclusion of concerns over equity and access—highlighting that the expansion is occurring in wealthier, whiter suburbs at the expense of services in majority-Black, poorer neighborhoods—leans the piece toward a center-left perspective, emphasizing social justice and community impact. However, the article maintains a measured tone by presenting statements from UMMC representatives and government officials without overt editorializing, thus keeping the overall coverage grounded in balanced reporting with a slight progressive framing.

Mississippi Today

Rita Brent, Q Parker headline ‘Medgar at 100’ Concert

Published

3 days ago

June 13, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-06-13 10:26:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
June 13, 2025

Nationally known comedian Rita Brent will host the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute’s “Medgar at 100” Concert on June 28.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 14, and can be ordered on the institute’s website.

The concert will take place at the Jackson Convention Complex and is the capstone event of the “Medgar at 100” Celebration. Organizers are calling the event “a cultural tribute and concert honoring the enduring legacy of Medgar Wiley Evers.”

“My father believed in the power of people coming together — not just in protest, but in joy and purpose, and my mother and father loved music,” said Reena Evers-Everette, executive director of the institute. “This evening is about honoring his legacy with soul, celebration, and a shared commitment to carry his work forward. Through music and unity, we are creating space for remembrance, resilience, and the rising voices of a new generation.”

In addition to Brent, other featured performers include: actress, comedian and singer Tisha Campbell; soul R&B powerhouse Leela James; and Grammy award-winning artist, actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Q Parker and Friends.

Organizers said the concert is also “a call to action — a gathering rooted in remembrance, resistance, and renewal.”

Proceeds from the event will go to support the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute’s mission to “advance civic engagement, develop youth leadership, and continue the fight for justice in Mississippi and beyond.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Rita Brent, Q Parker headline 'Medgar at 100' Concert appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents a straightforward, factual report on the upcoming “Medgar at 100” concert honoring civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers. The tone is respectful and celebratory, focusing on the event’s cultural and community significance without expressing a political stance or ideological bias. It quotes organizers and highlights performers while emphasizing themes of remembrance, unity, and justice. The coverage remains neutral by reporting the event details and mission of the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute without editorializing or promoting a specific political viewpoint. Overall, it maintains balanced and informative reporting.

Mississippi Today

Future uncertain for residents of abandoned south Jackson apartment complex

Published

3 days ago

June 13, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-06-13 09:25:00

by Maya Miller, Mississippi Today
June 13, 2025

Residents at Chapel Ridge Apartments in Jackson are left wondering what to do next after months dealing with trash pileups, property theft and the possibility of water shutoffs due to the property owner skipping out on the bill.

On Sunday, Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley, city attorney Drew Martin and code enforcement officers discussed next steps for the complex, which, since April 30, has been without a property manager.

“How are you all cracking down on other possible fraudulent property managers around Jackson?” one woman asked Martin.

“ We don’t know they’re there until we know they’re there, and I know that’s a terrible answer, but I don’t personally have another one I’m aware of right now,” Martin said. “These individuals don’t seem to have owned another apartment complex in the Metro Jackson area, despite owning a whole bunch nationwide.”

A sign marks the entrance to Chapel Ridge Apartments, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Jackson, Miss.

Back in April, a letter was left on the door of the leasing office advising residents to not make rental payments until a new property manager arrives. The previous property managers are Lynd Management Group, a company based in San Antonio, Texas.

The complex has been under increased scrutiny after Chapel Ridge Apartments lost its solid waste contract mid-March due to months of nonpayment. The removal of dumpsters led to a portion of the parking lot turning into a dumping site, an influx of rodents and gnats, and an investigation by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Local leaders pitched in to help remedy the situation, and in May, Waste Management provided two dumpsters for the complex.

However, the problems persisted. In May, JXN Water released the names of 15 apartment complexes that owe more than $100,000 in unpaid water fees. Chapel Ridge was on the list. JXN Water spokesperson Aisha Carson said via email that they are “pursuing legal options to address these large-scale delinquencies across several properties.”

A “No Dumping” sign stands where a dumpster was previously located at Chapel Ridge Apartments, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Jackson, Miss.

“While no shutoffs are imminent at this time, we are evaluating each case based on legal feasibility and the need to balance enforcement with tenant protections. Our focus is on transparency and accountability, not disruption—but we will act when needed to ensure the integrity of the system,” Carson said.

And earlier this week, Chapel Ridge Apartments was declared a public nuisance. Martin said this gives the city of Jackson “the authority to come in, mow the grass and board up any of the units where people aren’t living.”

Martin said the situation is complicated, because the complex is owned by Chapel Ridge Apartments LLC. The limited liability corporation is owned by CRBM Realty Inc. and Crown Capital Holdings LLC, which are ultimately owned by Moshe “Mark” Silber. In April, Silber was sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. Earlier this month, both companies filed for bankruptcy in New Jersey.

An empty area where a dumpster was once placed is seen at Chapel Ridge Apartments, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Jackson, Miss.

Now, Martin said the main goal is to find someone who can manage the property.

“Somebody’s got to be able to collect rent from you,” Martin said. “They got to be able to pay the water. They got to be able to pay the garbage. They got to be able to pay for the lights to be on. They got to maintain the property, so that’s our goal is to put that in place.”

Chapel Ridge offers a rent scale based on household income. Those earning under 50% of the area median income — between $21,800 and $36,150 depending on household size — for example, pay $480 for a two-bedroom and $539 for a three-bedroom unit. Rent increases between $20 and $40 for those earning under 60% of the area median income.

Valarie Banks said that when she moved into Chapel Ridge nearly 13 years ago, it was a great community. The disabled mother and grandmother moved from West Jackson to the complex because it was neatly kept and quiet.

“It was beautiful. I saw a lot of kids out playing. There were people that were engaging you when you came out. They were eager to help,” Banks said. “ I hope that they could bring this place back to the way it once was.”

But after months of uncertainty, Banks is preparing to move. She said she’s not the only one.

“I have somewhere to go, but I’m just trying to get my money together so I can be able to handle the deposits and the bills that come after you move,” she said. “All of my doctors are around here close to me. In 12 years, I made this place home for me. … I’ve been stacking my rent, but it’s still not enough if I want to move this month.”

While she said she’s holding onto her rent payments for the time being, she realizes that many of her fellow residents may not be as lucky. Without someone to maintain the apartments, some residents are finding themselves without basic amenities.

“Some people are in dire straits, because they don’t have a stove or a fridge or the air conditioner,” she said. “Their stove went out, or the fridge went out, or they stole the air conditioner while you’re in the apartment.”

Banks isn’t the only one who is formulating a plan to leave. One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she’s been trying to save money to move, but she already has $354 wrapped up in a money order that she’s unable to pass off for her rent, due to the property manager’s recent departure.

“It really feels like an abandonment and just stressful to live where I’m living at right now. This just doesn’t happen. It just feels stressful. It doesn’t feel good at all,” she said.

She’s trying to remain optimistic, but as each day passes without someone to maintain the property, she’s losing hope.

“ I just hope that things get better some day, somehow, hopefully, because if not, more than likely I’m going to have to leave because I can only take so much,” she said. “I can’t continue to deal with this situation of hoping and wishing somebody comes, and they don’t.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Future uncertain for residents of abandoned south Jackson apartment complex appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article from *Mississippi Today* primarily focuses on the struggles of low-income residents at Chapel Ridge Apartments, emphasizing the human impact of property mismanagement, regulatory gaps, and systemic neglect. The piece maintains a factual tone, but it centers the voices of vulnerable tenants and local officials seeking accountability—hallmarks of a center-left perspective. While it does not overtly advocate for policy change, the narrative framing highlights social injustice and institutional failures, subtly aligning with progressive concerns about housing equity and corporate responsibility.