Video: Stabilizing Healthcare In Choctaw County

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ACKERMAN, Miss.(WCBI)–Choctaw County supervisors and the taxpayers they serve are beginning to see revenue come in as they continue paying for the new 12 million dollar facility in Ackerman. Its been about a year ago this month that Choctaw Regional Medical Center hired new managers for the hospital.

After operating under new management for about a year now, this 15 bed critical access hospital is now a permanent fixture that can be seen on Highway 12 in Ackerman. A visual reminder, stabilized healthcare is now available to people in Ackerman and Choctaw County.

“We have 8 physicians and nine nurse practitioners. We’ve opened our clinic here on campus. Twelve hours a day its kind of like an after hours walk-in clinic. We’re open from 8 in the morning till 8 at night,” said Jamie Rodgers/CEO-Choctaw Regional Medical Center.

“We have probably, from a board standpoint, the expectation that we had at the time we are probably six to eight months ahead today of where we thought we’d be,” said Rick Jenkins/President-Hospital Trustee.

With Trilogy Healthcare Systems of Madison managing the hospital and four clinics and It’s partner North Sunflower Medical Center seeing after the 60 bed nursing home and the hospital’s finances, there has been the creation of 80 more jobs.

“Can’t be more pleased with what they are doing. Our money is rolling in like it should. These people are again, we are hiring people that this is what they do for a living. So we are very satisfied with the management groups we got,” said Rick Jenkins.

Now that Choctaw Regional Medical Center officials are feeling better and breathing a sigh of relief, they are moving towards a healthy future of growth.

“We want to continue to look for opportunities to provide healthcare in our surrounding area and grow our service area. We are looking at clinics in different locations. So that we can provide access to care in small communities around Ackerman,” said Jamie Rodgers.

Choctaw County officials are also looking into establishing an Alzheimers unit in one of the buildings on the hospital grounds.