Access to mental health resources has always been limited in Mississippi, and now that the Behavioral Health Services unit at River Region closed its doors on June 30, the mental health landscape in the state looks even more bleak.
“They were providing services to all of Warren County, but also all the surrounding areas as well,” said Donna Hardy, Chancery Clerk of Warren County. “So over the years, River Region here in Vicksburg has had a huge following in that mental health capacity.”
Thirty-three hospitals in Oklahoma have shuttered because of financial strain since 2007. A dozen were in rural communities such as Frederick, Pauls Valley and Clinton, according to state Department of Health data. Since 2021, two Oklahoma facilities have chosen the federal safety net known as a Rural Emergency Hospital license in hopes of staying open.
Access to mental health resources has always been limited in Mississippi, and now that the Behavioral Health Services unit at River Region closed its doors on June 30, the mental health landscape in the state looks even more bleak.
The CDC is poised to lose about $1.3 billion in funds as a result of last month's federal debt ceiling negotiation that were initially allocated through COVID-19 supplemental funding.