Emergency services to return to Smith County in rural hospital partnership

The opening of an Emergency Care Hospital in Smith County will provide services for roughly 14,000 residents.

Covington County Hospital (CCH) in partnership with South Central Regional Medical Center (SCRMC) have announced the reopening of a hospital in Raleigh, Mississippi.

The hospital, which was previously known as Patients’ Choice Medical Center, will soon reopen as the Smith County Emergency Hospital.

Patients’ Choice closed in the spring of 2023, officially terminating their Medicare contract in July. The former hospital offered 29 general acute care beds but no emergency room. In previous inspections, the last being in 2019, the facility was reported as “not up to code.”

However, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) was not aware of the closure until health inspectors arrived on May 15 to conduct a survey. Since that time, MSDH has updated their requirements on hospital closures and now expect a 30-day notice.

The reopened facility will provide access to emergency rooms, observation care, and outpatient services such as computed tomography (CT), digital radiology, and laboratory.

“When minutes may be the difference in saving someone, this new Rural Emergency Hospital will be a lifesaver for Raleigh, Smith County and surrounding communities,” said Gregg Gibbes, CEO of CCH and SCRMC, in a statement. “This partnership will not only play a critical role in delivering healthcare but will also create new high-paying jobs in the community.”

New ownership indicated there would be renovations to the current building to include the emergency department, radiology and laboratory departments, as well as a new admissions area. They expect the hospital to open in the fall of 2024.

The two hospitals already participate in a shared services model through an administrative services agreement, along with Magee General and Simpson County General, to provide services across the state. This agreement holds that if care that is not regularly provided at one of these facilities is needed, another facility can send providers.

For example, dermatology services are not provided at CCH. A clinic was set up and SCRMC sends healthcare providers specialized in dermatology twice a month to the facility so residents in the area have access to the services.

The partnership, in which both hospitals share joint oversight, came after Gibbes, who was already over CCH, was hired on at SCRMC.

Restoring the services also provides jobs to the Smith County community. Currently, the partners are working with the University of Southern Mississippi on an economic impact study to determine the jobs need in the area. That information is expected to be available in the coming months.

“The best part of the story is that neighboring rural hospitals are providing a solution; not someone from out of town or out of state, who’s out of touch. Our independent rural hospitals are partnering together to create a solution for a neighboring community that has a need,” said Gibbes.