Video: Chickasaw County Adapts to New Health Care Changes

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CHICKASAW COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — A new ambulance service, no more emergency room and a new community health clinic have meant some big health care changes for residents of one Northeast Mississippi county this fall.

It’s been a transition period for Chickasaw County, and so far, officials say it’s been mostly a smooth change.

In September, Trace Regional Medical Center in Houston closed its emergency room and opened a community medical clinic open 12 hours a day, seven days a week. To improve emergency response, the county hired a new ambulance service, MedStat Emergency Medical Services. The company started a month ago and Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jim Myers says its gotten good marks so far.
“The service itself, I think, is better. Seems to me like there is more concern. Again, the staff itself is real energetic about working,” said Chief Deputy, Jim Myers.

With the emergency room closed, serious emergencies require patients to be taken to hospitals in Tupelo, Pontotoc, West Point, Amory or Calhoun City.
The service provides two ambulances in the county with a third floating truck that can be called into use.

“Their next level up staff comes by pretty much daily. They’re checking on the phone, they’re coming by the office asking if there’s anything they can do to help upgrade things, so the conversation between their service and us is nice,” said Deputy Myers.

Meanwhile, the hospital’s health clinic is beginning to catch on, despite initial objections. Several patients said the longer hours and weekends are convenient and cheaper. Those were the hospital’s goals on cutting down on expensive emergency room visits. But some patients still long for the good old days.

Chickasaw County resident, Wilma Holmes made a trip to North East Mississippi Medical Center around 1 Wednesday morning.

“It took us about 45 minutes to drive up there and I thank God that it wasn’t a real emergency. She needed to see the doctor, but it wasn’t like a life and death situation,” said Holmes.

“I just pray it will reopen,” added Holmes.

The Medstat ambulances are based in Houston and Okolona.

Medstat is based in Winona and operates in 15 counties across the region and has been working with fire and police departments to upgrade communications and dispatching.