NMMC To End School Nurse Program

TUPELO (WCBI/NMMC) – Shrinking payments from Medicare and insurance companies are forcing an end to the NMMC School Nurse Program.

The hospital says it must position itself to handle future financial challenges and eliminating the school nurse program is one of those difficult decisions.   Medicare has cut its payments to the hospital by $54 million over the past 5 years.   The program currently employs 11 full-time nurses across 15 schools.  The nurses will  remain on staff until the end of the 2017-2018 school year but if one of those currently employed finds a new job before then, the position will not be filled.

The schools impacted are:

Itawamba Attendance Center

Hills Chapel Elementary – Prentiss County

Okolona Elementary and Junior High

North and South Pontotoc Elementary

Saltillo Elementary and Primary

Tupelo Middle School

Lawhon, Carver, Rankin, and Joyner Elementary – Tupelo

(3 of the 7 TPSD Nurses are NMMC Employees)