The public will help decide fate of Singing River hospital system sale, supervisors decide

Jackson County supervisors voted unanimously Monday morning to hold a public hearing on whether to sell Singing River Health System, the county-owned hospital system.

The hearing will take place at 6 p.m. on August 17.

Should 1,500 signatures be collected on a petition for a referendum, the likely next step will be for the public to vote on the potential sale.

Supervisors noted that, in the absence of a sale, the county would likely have to heavily increase taxes in order to keep the hospital afloat.

“We basically are being asked to fund the system adequately or to basically put it up for sale,” said District 3 supervisor Ken Taylor.

According to figures presented by SRHS to the supervisors on Monday, the hospital needs an infusion of $287 million over the next five years to cover mounting costs.

Taylor said the tax hike necessary to cover the hospital’s projected costs would exceed the legal limits on how much the country can increase its annual mill levy.

Tiffany Murdock, Singing River’s recently named CEO, told the supervisors that continuing to operate a health system of Singing River’s size as a county hospital is “just not feasible.”

Singing River operates hospitals in Pascagoula, Gulfport, and Ocean Springs, and over 40 clinics, and employs a staff of 4,000.

Suggesting an eventual sale is inevitable, Murdock said now was a good time to seek a buyer, because the hospital is in good financial shape but faces rising costs in the near future. Noting that Singing River’s revenues have been rising, Murdock said “we don’t want to turn out like Blockbuster and be a fire sale” by waiting too long to sell.

Randy Bosarge, president of the board of supervisors, agreed. “Community based hospitals, non-profit hospitals, they just find themselves in this situation throughout the country,” he said.

“We’re very happy” with the supervisors’ vote,” Murdock told the Sun Herald.

Murdock said Singing River has already begun the process of educating Jackson County citizens about the reasons for the proposed sale. “If we are going to have a referendum and a vote, we want people to be educated about that vote,” Murdock said.

She said SRHS is seeking to address community concerns regarding the continued provision of indigent care and “local care staying local.”

As part of this education effort, the hospital has set up a website, SingingRiverForward.com, where it presents the case for pursuing “a fully integrated model with a like-minded healthcare organization that will invest in and grow our system.”

Murdock anticipates a referendum will be held. “1,500 signatures are easy to get nowadays,” she said.

This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 11:48 AM.