It’s been 50 years since a young Sen. Robert F. Kennedy made a well-publicized tour to the Mississippi Delta to see for himself the faces of hungry children. Today, the state’s social and health disparities keep child hunger and poverty from being a thing of the past. The Medical Center’s outreach into the poorest corners of the Delta, however, is making a difference in health outcomes and hope for change.

The School of Nursing goes on the road to bring primary care to people where they live, from struggling neighborhoods in Jackson’s Midtown community to impoverished schools in the Mississippi Delta. That mission especially shines through the Mercy Delta Express Project - which oversees clinics in three schools and a Head Start center in Sharkey County - and the new UNACARE mobile clinic's outreach efforts.

Last summer, UMMC employees were asked to complete a confidential and voluntary survey to gauge their thoughts on their workplace and its safety. More than 75 percent responded with praise - and concerns. UMMC employees now have a second chance to sound off through the Employee Engagement and Culture of Safety surveys, and they should take note: Senior leaders are listening and will address areas in need of improvement.

Thanks to the efforts of a Madison teenager and her father, each Batson Children’s Hospital patient will receive a box of crayons and a ColorMyCares coloring book filled with images by Wyatt Waters. The philanthropic duo also helped illustrate the coloring books, which include space for patients to chronicle their hospital stays.

The Medical Center is proud to acknowledge those employees who will celebrate service anniversaries during the week of July 17-23.

Several interesting events are scheduled for the upcoming week at the Medical Center. 

A national publication has listed UMMC’s Organ Transplant Program among the nation’s 50 most active kidney transplant centers, while the Medical Center’s vice chancellor emeritus is named to the Ole Miss Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame.