VC Notes for Frdiay, October 11, 2024
Good morning!
I had a great start to this week Monday when I led a ceremony to officially open the new rural health clinic facility in West. It was an honor to cut the ribbon for this clinic, which is so needed by that community. Joining me from UMMC was Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for health affairs, Dodie McElmurray, CEO of university and community hospitals, Scott Whittemore, operations and finance administrator for community hospitals, Paige Lawrence, assistant administrator and CNO for UMMC Holmes County, clinic staff Laura Whittemore, FNP, Cynthia Ferguson, LPN and Mildred Barret, patient services coordinator, as well as state and city elected officials.
West Mayor Sammy Aldridge and Mississippi Speaker of the House Jason White were our guests and speakers for the ceremony. It was heartwarming to hear them speak – and on behalf of residents of West and surrounding areas – about how much they appreciate UMMC’s continued support of the community.
The West Clinic was first opened in 1977 in a modular building located behind what was then City Hall. It later joined with UMMC in 1998. Now, the clinic operates in the building that used to serve as City Hall after West city officials invested in renovating the building, parking lot and surrounding grounds. The new clinic is bigger and better equipped, making it possible to enhance services to patients who benefit from a general health clinic in their backyard.
In Mayor Aldridge’s remarks, he thanked UMMC for the ongoing commitment made 26 years ago to the residents of his small town. They take pride in having this connection to the state’s only academic medical center, and the relationships formed over the years are nearly as important as the care being delivered.
For example, the first family nurse practitioner to work at the clinic after it became a part of UMMC was Jolynn White, who attended that 1998 opening ceremony with her husband, Jason. Yes, the same person who now leads the Mississippi House of Representatives, spoke at the ribbon-cutting and has shown himself to be a champion of health care across the state. As a girl who grew up in rural Carroll County, I have a special place in my heart for our small, rural communities that show time and time again they may not be large in size, status or budget, but are mighty in will, can-do spirit and desire to help their neighbors.
Similar stories and relationships come out of other small, rural communities and other Mississippi towns in which we have a presence, like Lexington, Louisville, Ecru, Winona, Vaiden, Grenada, Greenwood, Greenville, Batesville, Oxford, Meridian, Hattiesburg, Tupelo, Gulfport and others. These clinics are vital to the people they serve. Some of our clinics in larger towns offer health care access – especially specialty services – to surrounding areas that don’t have those services available in their towns.
UMMC is committed to improving health outcomes for all Mississippians, and we know that access to primary and specialty care close to home is critically important in rural communities. While we are not able to establish operations everywhere, we want to do what we can to serve areas most in need. We are based in Jackson but consider every county in the state when making strategic decisions. This ribbon-cutting ceremony – marking a strong partnership with West – is the latest visible example of us being intentional about making positive strides on our overall mission of A Healthier Mississippi.
