The Choctaw Regional Medical Center is a 15-bed, critical-care facility located in Ackerman, MS that offers a myriad of services that is impressive for a rural hospital.
Several factors go into the designation of critical-care, but most importantly it allows
small, rural hospitals to be reimbursed at a different level in an attempt to save these facilities that are so vital to their communities.
In a meeting on February 24, the Choctaw County Board of Supervisors voted
unanimously to pay of the debt incurred in the construction of the Medical Center. The final payment of $2.88M comes eight years in advance resulting in a savings of millions of dollars for Choctaw County taxpayers.
CRMC CEO, Jamie Rodgers, said, “It’s tremendous. It really shows their commitment to healthcare in this county, and we have some good leaders there that are good stewards of the resources of the county.” Rodgers added that this relieves a huge burden from each entity involved.
Choctaw Regional Medical Center partners with North Mississippi Medical Center to provide tele-health services to local residents which allows patients to receive care from a specialist without ever leaving the county. Rodgers said that this is a great benefit as the long drive to other facilities can be quite taxing on some patients.
The Medical Center also offers a very robust infusion program which requires no additional staff and is a value-added service for no additional cost. And there is a 24-hour staffed Emergency Room, as well.
There are three clinics in the CRMC network, and according to Rodgers these are the front door to the entire system, and he described good clinics as the bread-and-butter of good healthcare today. The clinics consist of the one on campus, Louisville Medical Clinic and Choctaw Medical Clinic of Ackerman on N. Louisville St. Rodgers stated that these clinics see 32K patient visits per year are essential in the role of preventative medicine and bringing specialists to the campus for monthly consultations.
Also important in the healthcare circle is the Choctaw Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, located in downtown Ackerman. Rodgers said that as baby boomers continue to age, for families to keep loved ones close to home is a major benefit.
Rodgers added that the Choctaw Regional Medical Center and all staff members appreciate the confidence the citizens of the county have placed in them as healthcare providers.
