Governor Tate Reeves signed three bills into law Monday that will provide financial aid to state hospitals and create easier paths for healthcare entities to hire medical professionals.
Reeves signed House Bill 271 and Senate Bill 2372, which establishes the Mississippi Hospital Sustainability Grant Program and invests over $103 million into the program. In addition, Reeves gave his approval of Senate Bill 2371, creating multiple grants to expand training programs for healthcare professionals across the state.
“These bills represent major wins for Mississippi’s healthcare system,” Reeves said. “Mississippians deserve access to high-quality healthcare options across the state. That’s why I signed these bills which help to strengthen hospitals across our state, ensure quality care is available for Mississippians, and dramatically expand efforts to retain and attract new medical professionals. We’ll continue making investments into a healthier Mississippi.”
Following Reeves’ signature, HB 271 appropriated approximately $103.7 million to the newly created Mississippi Hospital Sustainability Grant Program at the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). In turn, SB 2372 established the formula by which these dollars are made available to hospitals across the state and tasked the MSDH with the distribution of the funds.
SB 2371 established programs at the Office of Workforce Development, or Accelerate Mississippi, to strengthen medical professional retention efforts and to better develop the emerging pipeline of new nurses and other professionals into the medical field across the state.
The bill also established the Accelerate Mississippi Nursing/Allied Health Grant Program aimed at increasing the capacity of nursing and Allied Health training programs.
In addition, the Accelerate Mississippi Physician Residency and Fellowship Start-Up Grant Program, which is aimed at creating new or increasing capacity in physician residency and fellowship programs at hospitals, was implemented with Reeves’ approval.
Lastly, the Mississippi Allied Health College and Career Navigator Grant Program will now be kickstarted to support the hiring of professionals with the ability to guide students through career opportunities and help to retain nurses and other students in the medical field.
