Due to insufficient funding from the Legislature, the Mississippi State Department of Health has implemented a tiered system for county health departments, resulting in some clinics discontinuing clinical services. The tiered system aims to ensure equitable access to healthcare throughout the state.
After the Legislature failed to provide the Mississippi state health department with the necessary funding to fully staff county health department s, some counties have been forced to discontinue offering clinical services. This lack of funding has prompted the health department to implement a tiered system of care for county health department s to ensure their sustainability.
Eight county health departments are now categorized as Level 1 clinics, meaning they no longer provide clinical services such as immunizations, preventive screenings, and reproductive health services. These clinics primarily act as referral points to other health departments with higher levels of care. Level 2 clinics have a nurse on staff and offer a limited range of services, while Level 3 clinics, designated as 'super clinics,' have a doctor or nurse practitioner and provide a full spectrum of services, including family planning, immunizations, disease screenings, and programs for mothers and children.The tiered system aims to concentrate resources and ensure that every region of Mississippi has access to essential health services. The state health department utilizes telehealth and transportation services, such as a partnership with Uber, to bridge the gap for patients in areas with Level 1 clinics. In the past year, the department has doubled its nurse practitioner workforce to over 30 and increased the number of Level 3 clinics to 15. The department plans to continue expanding the number of Level 3 clinics. This reorganization follows drastic budget cuts in 2017 that forced the closure of county health departments and staff layoffs. The agency has spent the last eight years recovering from these cuts. In 2023, the Legislature rejected the health department's $9 million budget request to hire nurses for county health departments and a program that places nurses in the homes of low-income pregnant women with high-risk pregnancies. While no county health departments have been closed yet, the agency is evaluating the level of care needed in each county and considering the availability of other health services in the area. The ultimate goal is to maintain a presence in every county if feasible. The department is currently working on making budget adjustments by reducing overhead costs. The agency's website lacks information about the reorganization and the specific level of care offered by each county health department. The Department of Health submitted a limited budget request this year, focusing on training early-career doctors and assisting Mississippians with health insurance enrollment. It did not include any specific requests for funding related to county health departments or positions for doctors or nurses
HEALTH DEPARTMENT COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENTS FUNDING CUTS MISSISSIPPI TIERED SYSTEM CLINICAL SERVICES TELEHEALTH TRANSPORTATION
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