Health Department Reduces Hours
Health Department Reduces Hours
By David Howell
Editor
WATER VALLEY – The Mississippi State Depart-ment of Health (MSDH) announced nine health clinics across the state will close and the remaining 37 clinics in Mississippi including the Yalobusha County Health Department will see a reduction in operating hours.
The reduced hours start February 1, and the Yalobusha County Health Department will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, according to a release from the agency. Most of the current services including immunizations, family planning, WIC, the Perinatal High Risk Management Program, and the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program will continue to be offered, just not on a daily basis, according to the MDSH release. The agency will no longer enroll new maternity patients, as patients now have other options under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid Managed Care.
“Over the past few years patient flow has seriously declined throughout the state, and with that, so has our incoming revenue. For many months now we have been reviewing clinic hours, patient flow, and current services,” reported State Health Officer Dr. Mary Currier.
Prior to 2010, the county’s health department was not open five days a week, but hours were ramped up after the county agreed to purchase the former Odom Medical clinic as a new location for the health department.
The county paid Yalobusha General Hospital $275,000 for the building, located at 645 South Main Street, after the hospital constructed a larger medical complex across from the former Odom clinic.
As part of the agreement, the state health department’s District Health Officer assured the former Board of Supervisors the facility would serve residents of the county five days a week.
