JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi doesn’t have the medical workforce to handle a variety of poor well being outcomes, from excessive charges of maternal and toddler mortality to extreme instances of diabetes that require the amputation of limbs, the state’s prime well being officer stated.
Dr. Daniel Edney, who leads the Mississippi State Division of Well being, advised lawmakers Thursday that the state well being division is brief 150 nurses and low well being care entry within the state’s impoverished Delta area is changing into “scary.” The challenges have positioned Mississippi close to the underside of nationwide rankings that observe the efficiency of state well being care methods.
“We could also be on the backside at the moment, however we don’t have to remain there,” Edney stated. “I’m simply begging for companions to assist us … as a result of we have now too many Mississippians who’re dying prematurely. We have now too many who’re ageing with poor well being and we have now too many individuals struggling for entry to care.”
Edney appeared earlier than the lawmakers at a funds listening to to request a further $14.6 million in state basic funds for the 12 months that begins July 1, which might be a 42% improve from the final funds for the present fiscal 12 months. About $9.2 million in new funds could be used to rent a further 100 nurses to work in county well being departments throughout the state, in accordance with a well being division funds doc.
A nurse scarcity accelerated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the exodus has added additional pressure on the well being care system in Mississippi. A spokesperson for the well being division, Liz Sharlot, stated 54% of rural hospitals are in peril of closure or downgrading current companies.
The Greenwood Leflore Hospital within the Delta has been teetering on the sting of everlasting closure for months, partly as a result of it will possibly’t pay aggressive wages to retain skilled nurses. Its potential closure threatens entry to maternal well being care simply because the state is anticipating extra births every year on account of the U.S. Supreme Court docket resolution final 12 months that eradicated nationwide authorized protections for abortion.
Nursing shortages haven’t been restricted to Mississippi, however the state has the nation’s highest fetal mortality fee, highest toddler mortality fee, highest pre-term beginning fee and is among the many worst for maternal mortality. Black ladies are almost 3 times extra more likely to die as a result of pregnancy-related sickness than white ladies in Mississippi, in accordance with the Middle for Mississippi Well being Coverage.
Edney stated the company is shifting its consideration from COVID-19 response again to its “core duties.” He outlined three points in want of extra consideration: maternal mortality, diabetes and the opioid disaster.
Half of diabetics in Mississippi don’t know they’ve it, and the Delta has one highest amputation charges within the nation. A rise in diabetes screening would assist reverse the development, Edney stated. For maternal care, the division wants extra funds to face up a brand new at-home nursing program for moms. However these efforts require extra expert well being employees.
“I can’t do it with my present workforce,” Edney stated. “I don’t have sufficient.” He stated county departments have borne the brunt of the state’s well being challenges.
“Truthfully, I’m shocked to listen to you say this,” stated Sen. Angela Hill, a Republican from Picayune. “I believe a part of it’s individuals don’t know the place to go for companies.”
About 80% of the division’s funding is federal, however these {dollars} are extra rigid than state {dollars}.
“That’s why the state appropriations for us is valuable,” Edney stated. “The very modest ask that we have now is to not increase the company, however it’s to strengthen the security internet.”
Legislators are supposed to finish a state funds by late March.
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Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Related Press/Report for America Statehouse Information Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit nationwide service program that locations journalists in native newsrooms to report on undercovered points. Comply with him on Twitter at twitter.com/mikergoldberg.