Continuing Our Commitment to Care.

Over the last several months, the Jackson County Board of Supervisors worked with Raymond James, a third-party healthcare-focused advisory firm, to conduct an extensive RFP process to identify a buyer for Singing River Health System. In March, the Board of Supervisors (BOS) announced their selection of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System.

Both parties engaged in extensive negotiations in an effort to reach an agreement, but ultimately, consensus could not be achieved. As a result, Singing River Health System will continue as an independent, county-owned health system.

Goals

We are committed to ensuring our patients receive the best possible care and support now and in the future.

Care Convenience

Continuing to provide a full range of care services within our communities remains our top priority.

Equipment and Technology

As the industry changes, Singing River is committed to remaining a leader in providing the safest, leading-edge healthcare solutions. To keep up with evolving technology and regulations, investing in hospital equipment and maintenance is crucial.

Equal Access to Care

Our mission is to provide equal access to care at minimal cost, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, ensuring the overall health, security and well-being of all our patients.

Innovation

Our goal is to continue making critical investments in our staff, infrastructure and equipment. Staying in lockstep with the latest developments in medical technology is key to offering life-saving innovation and technology to our patients and ensuring the best outcomes.

Our Commitment

Patients First

As a leading healthcare provider in Jackson County and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we make patient care and safety our highest priority 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.

At Singing River, we play an essential role in our communities by:

  • Focusing on Safety & Quality. All three of our hospitals have achieved an “A” rating for safety and quality, according to Leapfrog, which provides a grading scale for industry standards.
  • Investing in our local community. As the second-largest employer in Jackson County, Singing River is an integral part of the local economy.

The Challenges We Face

The healthcare industry has continually changed over the last decade, with community hospitals like ours facing the strongest headwinds. The increased cost of staffing, equipment and technology impacts our profitability and diminishes our ability to invest and grow our system of care. As stated in the Raymond James report that was shared at the BOS meeting on July 5th, some of the challenges we face include:

Mississippi has the second-lowest overall health ranking in the U.S., the highest poverty rate in the country and an uninsured population significantly above national averages.
Mississippi is one of 12 states that did not adopt a Medicaid expansion, which means the amount of income that would have gone to health systems in our state is slated to decrease, significantly impacting hospitals like Singing River that provide significant care for underinsured and uninsured populations.
Like many community hospitals across the country, Singing River faces staffing shortages and must focus on retaining staff long-term while attracting new talent to serve our communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of frequently asked questions and answers to help you learn more about our partnership exploration process. You can also submit a question of your own in the submission box. We will update this page regularly to answer new questions we receive.

What's happening?

Both parties engaged in extensive negotiations in an effort to reach an agreement, but ultimately, consensus could not be achieved. As a result, Singing River Health System will continue as an independent, county-owned health system.

Can SRHS remain independent/county-owned?

Given our current strong financial position, we can continue to operate as an independent, county-owned health system.

Why couldn't we reach an agreement?

We don’t have the specifics about why the organizations couldn’t reach an agreement. We are proud that we have been able to maintain a strong financial position and we are confident in our ability to continue as an independent, county-owned health system.

Why were we searching for a partner?

During the pandemic and immediately following, we faced significant challenges, including an increased cost of staffing, equipment and technology that impacted our profitability and diminished our ability to invest and grow our system of care. However, our financial position is better today than before we began this process, and, given the fact the Board of Supervisors was unable to reach an agreement with FMOLHS, we are confident in our ability to continue as an independent, county-owned health system.

Does the BOS have another partner in mind?

SRHS and FMOLHS will no longer be moving forward with a partnership, and SRHS will remain a county-owned health system. The RFP process is now closed.

As an SRHS retiree, will this affect my pension?

We will continue to fund pensions for current employees and our valued retirees as we do today.

What does this mean for employees?

Nothing changes today. Please continue in your role, providing exceptional care to those we serve. This decision does not hurt SRHS, your employment, or our services. Our operations remain strong. Please continue to go about business as usual.

What does this mean for patients and the community?

Our commitment to our patients and communities remains steadfast, and our priority continues to be providing exceptional care to those we serve. Nothing changes for our patients and community. Patients will continue to see the same providers they know and trust and we will continue to accept the insurance plans we do today.

Will patient care be affected or interrupted?

This news does not interrupt any of the care services we offer. 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.

Will my doctor change?

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.

What were the RFP qualifications?

Updated 06/22/2023

When we shared our core considerations with the Board of Supervisors last year, we were pleased to see these qualifications represented in the final RFP:

  • Financial Stability: Providing adequate financial resources to acquire SRHS’s operations and assets while committing to capital for routine and strategic projects.
  • Keep Care Local: Safeguarding the community’s healthcare interests by keeping local care local.
  • Invest in Our Community: Committing to continuing to provide charity care in Jackson County.
  • Invest in Our People: Committing 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.

Request for Proposal

When did we decide to launch this process?

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.

How will this impact services?

Updated 03/27/2023

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.

What were the details of a potential petition?

Updated 09/20/2023

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.

Do you know who submitted bids to buy Singing River Health System?

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.

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