Small towns typically have difficulty attracting and retaining medical professionals, and this doesn’t happen just in Mississippi. CompHealth reported earlier this month on its blog that – surprisingly – California and New York state are both having trouble recruiting doctors.
Amazingly, the high cost of living in California is affecting the state’s ability to attract doctors to rural areas; in Mississippi, it is the low cost of living that hinders the hiring of physicians. When hospitals or their clinics can’t pay doctors what other areas can, the people of Mississippi find themselves with a doctor shortage.
Specialty areas, such as optometry, are often even more affected by shortages. However, Dr. Kent Stribling and Dr. Gil Davis put a plan in motion in the late 1990s to make sure the people of Central Mississippi would have access to eye care professionals in their area.
Dr. Kent Stribling followed in his father’s footsteps as an optometrist, taking over his father’s practice in Philadelphia, MS when the elder Dr. Stribling retired. Stribling and Dr. Gil Davis knew one another from their school days at the University of Alabama (where both attended optometry school), and, when Dr. Ben Crawford, longtime optometrist in Louisville, became ill, the pair would volunteer their time to help.
Dr. Crawford wasn’t just a respected optometrist in Winston County, but also in the optometrist community. Davis and Stribling were happy to help out during his illness and subsequent retirement. The duo would also meet Dr. Amy Crigler during their volunteer time.
The events gave the pair an idea – bringing young optometrists to the area would help older, experienced optometrists ease into retirement while still providing optimum eye care. Plus, patients wouldn’t have to drive to Jackson or Meridian, for example, just to see their eye care provider. In 1998, Davis and Stribling would officially buy Dr. Crawford’s clinic, which would later become Mississippi Eye Care. Dr. Crigler, whom the pair met while volunteering at Dr. Crawford’s office, would join the staff in 2017.
Fast forward to 2024, and the small beginnings of Mississippi Eye Care have branched out to twelve clinics and an eyewear boutique. Fifteen doctors practice across the network of clinics.
Recently, the owners announced that they will construct an eye clinic in Ackerman. When asked the motivation to set up shop in Choctaw County, the CFO of Mississippi Eye Care noted that Choctaw was one of only ten counties in the Magnolia State that do not have an optometrist. While the county has been home to eye doctors in the past, within the last decade, there has not been an optometrist.
Mississippi Eye Care decided to change that. “Because of its proximity to our established network or clinics, it seemed like an area where we could expand to make eye care more accessible to the local residents. We are already seeing patients from the Choctaw County area at our Louisville and Starkville clinics, but we want them to have a location near their hometown.”
Construction on the new eye clinic began February 1, 2024, and the physicians anticipate a summer opening. Currently, the plan is for the clinic to be served by Dr. Chris Herring, who is currently at the Starkville clinic, and Dr. Roy Miles, who is often at the Macon clinic. The clinic is expected to be open four days a week, and both Dr. Herring and Dr. Miles will split their time between their current clinics and the Ackerman clinic.
