Promoting Health Care Resilience in Mississippi

Impact

• Provided support to Sharkey Issaquena Community Hospital (SICH), including engagement of a subject matter expert with previous experience as a hospital CEO whose facility had also been destroyed by a tornado.

• Supported continuity of hospital operations by aiding hospital leaders to expand their search for additional resources to facilitate the transition to a temporary care site.

• Delivered technical assistance on available best practices to advance restoration and reopening of the hospital’s associated nursing home.

Background

In March 2023 the Rolling Fork tornado struck the SICH as part of a severe weather outbreak in Mississippi. The tornado caused extensive operational and financial disruption to the hospital, a critical healthcare resource for the community and surrounding region. As a result of significant damage and reduced capacity, temporary healthcare delivery was rapidly established through a MASH/tent hospital. The facility’s affiliated nursing home—an essential service and revenue source—also sustained severe damage. Through the Health, Education, and Human Services Recovery Support Function (HEHS RSF), ASPR collaborated with state and federal partners to stabilize operations, support reconstruction planning, and strengthen the hospital’s long-term financial outlook.

Recovery

• ASPR and its partners implemented a coordinated set of healthcare system recovery activities to address both immediate and long-term needs. Through a deployed former healthcare executive and additional SMEs, ASPR provided technical assistance to identify additional avenues of support for SICH’s financial stabilization, development of a sustainable emergency and outpatient service model, and planning for facility reconstruction.

• With ASPR’s support, SICH expanded coordination with the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), academic institutions, and other partners to enhance clinical services, pursue grant opportunities, and explore shared operational models with regional nursing homes.

• ASPR identified federal funding opportunities—including those available through FEMA—to advance ongoing operations and reconstruction efforts.