The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) announced Monday an agency reorganization that they say will reduce administrative costs without affecting services delivered to the public.
MSDH is currently organized into nine public health districts, but the agency will shift to a three-region model effective July 1, 2017.
Regional offices will be located in Tupelo, Jackson, and Biloxi; representing north, central, and south Mississippi respectively.
“By closing two-thirds of our district offices, we’re immediately saving $1.5 million in administrative overhead,” said MSDH State Health Officer Dr. Mary Currier. “We have reduced district level leadership and our overall agency workforce through retirements, resignations and reassignments. We have also realigned federal funds to support our clinic and district operations; therefore no layoffs within county clinics and district offices are anticipated at this time.”
Currier added that the supervision of many county-level programs such as immunizations, tuberculosis control, epidemiology, disease intervention, and emergency preparedness will be centralized to relieve some of the burden in the field.
“Adapting to changes in budget and revenue has been a fluid process. We are continually working hard to determine where more cuts can be made, if needed, and we will continue to monitor and evaluate our programs and services throughout the state,” she said. “We are now and always will be committed to protecting and promoting the health of all Mississippians.”
