More and more hospitals are leaving the Mississippi Hospital Association (MHA) with the latest departure coming from North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo.
According to reporting from the Magnolia Tribune, the decision from North Mississippi Medical Center sparked two other health systems – Ochsner and Merit – to also terminate their memberships with the MHA.
Ochsner Health System, amid recent layoffs, still operates seven hospitals across the state including locations in Meridian, Union, Quitman, Morton, DeKalb, and Harrison County. Merit, on the other hand, has nine hospitals with locations in Rankin County, Canton, Jackson, Vicksburg, Natchez, Biloxi, and Hattiesburg.
While no explanation has yet been provided by the three latest health systems to leave the MHA, other hospitals that previously decided to step out from under the organization have cited leadership concerns.
MHA has also been subject to scrutiny over a recent $250,000 donation to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley, a move that MHA President and CEO Tim Moore has defended.
The total list of hospitals to leave the MHA over the last two months are as follows: University of Mississippi Medical Center, Singing River Health System, Memorial Health System, George Regional Health System, Forrest General Hospital, North Mississippi Medical Center, Ochsner Health System, and Merit Health System.
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