“The healthcare infrastructure of the Mississippi Delta has become increasingly more fragile,” he said. “Many of the hospitals in the delta were already having to deal with unique socioeconomic issues. With COVID putting even more strain on staffing and finances, we are seeing an increasing number of hospitals entering a danger zone in their ability to operate and sustain operations.”
He says there are multiple hospitals in the state that are struggling to stay afloat. While Edney didn't name the centers, he said that each area would have its own challenges and needs. Edney lists financial issues, population decline, and COVID-related fallout as reasons that Mississippi may see more closures in the future.
“We have a health care crisis in this state,” he said. “We have to choose to do something about it.”
Edney characterizes the work done by Delta hospitals as heroic - before, during, and coming out of the pandemic. But he worries the dominoes may begin to fall if nothing is done to help rural hospitals. He says some things should not be left for the market to decide, and the Delta is worthy of help from the state.
“I’m a Delta boy. I grew up in Greeneville,” he said. “Those hospitals have been working just incredibly hard… just overwhelmed a times and never giving up… our society has to decide, what are we going to do with our rural hospitals?”
Edney believes hospitals act as economic drivers for communities. Mississippi is a state led by a Governor who champions business investment in the state. But, as Edney points out, investing in regions like the Delta becomes more difficult when the healthcare infrastructure is fragile.
“When business looks to locate into a new area, they ask the same questions.” he explained. “They’re interested in the health care system. When parts of that are unhealthy, they tend to look elsewhere.”
The Department of Health is currently implementing the "Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies" program, which sends nurses to the homes of Medicaid-applicable mothers. Edney hopes that this meets some of the needs met by the NICU closure in Greenville.
