Expanding access to care for generations to come.

Over the last several months the Jackson County Board of Supervisors has been leading the process of selling Singing River Health System to a larger, like-minded healthcare organization to help us enhance our services and continue our mission.

We are excited about the potential to partner with the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOLHS), a leading healthcare innovator in Louisiana and Mississippi founded in 1911.

As a leading healthcare provider in Jackson County and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, patient care and safety are our highest priorities at all times, serving with exceptional levels of compassion, empathy and attention that exceed expectations and form unbreakable bonds. Patients and their families are our guests. They are the reason we are here.

We sought a like-minded partner to ensure that Singing River will be able to meet the needs of our employees, patients and community members. Together, we will build on the strong foundation Singing River has established since we first originated as Jackson County Hospital in 1931. FMOLHS is committed to ensuring our patients receive access to high-quality, accessible care. They also believe in keeping care local, investing in our community and investing in our people.

The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System is a leading healthcare innovator in Louisiana and Mississippi. They are headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA, and serve patients across Louisiana and Mississippi through a network of hospitals, clinics, physicians, elderly housing and integrated information systems.

Their presence in Mississippi includes St. Dominic Health Services, the parent company for a large group of subsidiary organizations and programs dedicated to providing compassionate care and hope as a healing ministry. These include St. Dominic Hospital, the Community Health Clinic, St. Dominic Medical Associates (physician network), New Directions for Over 55, MEA Clinics, The Club at St. Dominic’s, St. Dominic Health Services Foundation, St. Catherine’s Village and Care-A-Van.

We shared our core considerations with the BOS in September, and are pleased to see these qualifications represented in the minimum requirements and objectives of the final RFP, which is summarized below:

• Financial Stability: A partner that can provide adequate financial resources to acquire SRHS’s operations and assets and assume the full payment of benefit pension liabilities. In addition, they must commit to a minimum five-year capital commitment for routine and strategic projects.
•  Keep Care Local: A partner that can safeguard the community’s healthcare interests by keeping local care local with additional commitments to:
  • Operate SRHS’s Emergency Departments
  •  Maintain behavioral health services in Jackson County at or above what is currently provided
  • Share plans for the continuing support and growth of services
•  Invest in Our Community: A partner that can commit to continuing to provide charity care in Jackson County.
• Invest In Our People: A partner that can commit to retaining all Singing River employees in good standing and ensure the continued support of employed and independent contractor physicians and Singing River Health System’s Workforce Academy.

For more details about the RFP Qualifications, click below.

Singing River has a successful history of partnerships, which have served to improve healthcare in our community. Though we have considered this opportunity for some time, the Singing River Health System Board of Trustees formally considered and passed the resolution on June 1, 2022 and the Jackson County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on July 18, 2022 to formally begin the process.

Our commitment to our patients and communities remains steadfast, and our priority continues to be providing exceptional care to those we serve. Nothing will change immediately for our patients and community. Patients will continue to see the same providers they know and trust, and we will continue to support community programs. Be assured that you will continue to have access to care from your providers without any interruption and we will continue to accept the insurance plans we do today.

The pension will continue to be funded for current employees and our valued retirees as it is today.

One of the absolute “non-negotiable” requirements for any potential partner is to honor our commitment to the Pension settlement trust fund. Proceeds from the partnership would go straight into the trust fund to maintain payments for the life of the plan, pursuant to the terms of the settlement.

The purpose of a petition would be to request the county hold an election to allow voters to determine whether Jackson County should proceed with Singing River Health System becoming fully part of a larger, like-minded health system or for the hospital to remain independent and remain County-owned. The public had until September 7th to sign a petition that would result in a public vote to sell our health system, but the petition did not reach the required 1,500 registered voter signatures.

To protect the confidentiality of the process, all proposals were submitted to Raymond James, a third-party healthcare-focused advisory firm. Raymond James then shared the proposals directly with the County who is managing the process and who made the decision to further explore a partnership with FMOLHS.