Senator rebuts Jackson County supervisors on open meetings law
State Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, blasted the Jackson County Board of Supervisors in a tweet, saying they are wrong about the new law that puts public hospitals under increased scrutiny.
“JCBS interpretation wrong on new law,” Wiggins tweeted, and added that he would have been happy to fill them in, but they didn’t ask him. Wiggins is the primary author on a new law, going into play in January, that opens hospitals like the ones under Jackson County’s Singing River Health System to more scrutiny by the people who own them, the public…
…”I don’t know where they’re coming from, because they never talked to me,” Wiggins said. “For that interpretation, I don’t know where they’re getting that.”
Wiggins said the new law says medical information is privileged but not salaries. He said public hospitals like SRHS have for years used the term “hospital records” in the old law to apply to everything, including administrators’ salaries.
“Now it only applies to patient information,” Wiggins said, “We changed the definition.
“And where were they (the Jackson County Board of Supervisors) when this was going through the Legislature?” Wiggins asked. “We asked them for help four months ago. Where were they then?”
SunHerald
6/23/15
Magnolia Tribune
