Ten minutes before Monday night’s public education session on the future of the Oktibbeha County Hospital, district supervisors and other city officials scrambled to find extra seats in the overflowing county courthouse, moving people into the jurors box and eventually allowing citizens to pool at the doors and in the hallway.
Spectators listened intently as Richard Cowart, the chairman of Baker Donelson’s Health Law Department, laid out examples of how other counties in Mississippi have handled public health-care developments when options have arisen to sell, lease or retain ownership of local hospitals.
Cowart, who said he has worked in more than 200 hospital “engagements” across the country and more than 30 in Mississippi, highlighted the decisions of Lowndes, Forrest and Lafayette counties and how each county, whether through hospital investments or transactions, utilized situations similar to Oktibbeha County’s to generate significant economic growth and obtain more complete medical services.
He pointed to the city of Oxford and Lafayette County as the closest comparison to Oktibbeha’s situation. Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corporation bought their lease on the hospital in Oxford last year, and is now going forward with plans for a $300 million facility. Baptist has invested over $165 million since 1989, and Cowart said they have quadrupled the hospital’s medical staff. The $300 million North Mississippi investment is the single largest health-care investment in the history of Mississippi, according the Cowart, and the largest economic development event in the history of Oxford and Lafayette County.
Much like Lafayette County, Forrest County and Hattiesburg, have grown their health-care substantially, but done so on their own, without the help of an outside partner. The county has invested millions of dollars into the health system, Cowart said and has still had the capacity, through several bonds, to deal with other issues like paving roads. He said Forrest County has been committed to build on three pillars: education, health-care and military. Sticking to these pillars has helped Forrest General become the largest community hospital in Mississippi.
“They have gotten to the size that the county doesn’t have to fund it anymore, but it took a lot of work though to get to that spot,” he said.
Growing and fostering the appeal of a college town can do wonders for recruiting staff and patients he noted.
“This plays out around the country in college towns,” Cowart said. “Oxford, Gainesville, Hattiesburg, Baton Rouge. These are all different situations. No one size fits all, but it is certainly a good reason to talk about it. People love these towns because they have an incredible sentimental connection to them, whether you went to school there or not.”
Cowart also discussed Columbus’ decision after a to sell its hospital to the Baptist group, which, despite a “messy beginning” to the process, has grown its medical staff from 81 with 19 specialists, to 142 with 33 specialists.
All of these health-care facilities have become leaders in their areas, he said, and have grown their county hospitals into real regional medical hubs.
Cowart closed his presentation urging the citizens to take a calm look at the options, but to have clarity of what the community needs and hopes to achieve.
“Communities go through this, it’s a healthy, and hopefully not a visceral exercise,” Cowart said. “Down Highway 82 both Greenwood and Grenada are going through same process. You need to be having this conversation because your neighbors are having it. Have a decent conversation about it. If you decide to do nothing, then you’ll still be better educated afterward.”
Monday night saw both sides of the OCH issue voice their concerns and opinions. Emotions flared multiple times and some personally attacked Cowart. Tensions came to a head when developer Spencer Bailey accused Cowart of being paid by Baptist to attend the educational session. Cowart, who was invited by District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer, vehemently denied the accusations, and by the end of the comments, several citizens stood and apologized to Cowart on behalf of the county saying they were embarrassed some of the reactions.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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