JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Over half of Mississippi’s rural hospitals are at risk of closing immediately or in the near future, according to the state’s leading public health official.
Dr. Daniel Edney, the state health officer, spoke to state senators at a hearing Monday about the financial pressure on Mississippi hospitals. Edney said 38 rural hospitals, 54% of the state’s total hospitals, could close. The potential closures threaten to exacerbate poor health outcomes in one of the nation’s poorest states.
“That is a situation that is intolerable from an economic standpoint — to lose 54% of our hospitals in the state — much less from an access to care perspective.”
