Franklin County Memorial Hospital Needs Community Participation on Questionnaire

ROXIE, MS - The Franklin County Memorial Hospital  (FCMH),  located in Meadville, Ms,  was established in 1951. FCMH was originally financed through a local bond issue and the Hospital Survey and Construction Act, also known as the Hill-Burton Act of 1946.  The hospital is governed by the FCMH Board of Trustees.  The seven (7) member board includes one (1) member from each of the five (5) Franklin County supervisor districts, one (1) member at large and the current Chief of Staff.   The board members duties are to establish administrative policy for the hospital, review hospital finances, approve patient charges and employees’ salaries.  

In May, 2009 FCMH received the designation as a Critical Access Hospital in compliance with the rules and  regulations of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.  This designation results in a strengthening of rural health care.  The hospital is also a not-for-profit institution approved by the State of Mississippi for participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs and is licensed by the Mississippi State Department of Health.  The Mississippi State Department of  Health conducts an extensive periodic survey to maintain the license of FCMH.  The hospital is also a member of the Mississippi Hospital Association.

  

Since opening, FCMH has grown to employ over 230 full-time and part-time employees and remains one of the largest employers in Franklin County.  The hospital serves not only Franklin County, but the eight surrounding counties as well. 

As part of FCMH's continued effort to improve it's position patient care,  FCMH has recently selected to receive services provided by the Delta Rural Hospital Performance Improvement (RHPI) Project.  The RHPI is a part of the federal government's initiative for rural health and was first implemented in 2001 to assist hospitals in the Delta Region to:

• Improve financial, quality and operational performance through comprehensive performance improvement activities, assessments and/or consultations
• Help build state and regional capacity by providing ongoing assistance to rural hospitals throughout the Delta Region
• Collect and disseminate information and resources that focus on improving performance 

In order to collect and disseminate information, FCMH needs community participation in a questionnaire that solicits certain feedback from residents to help the hospital further improve and strengthen local health services and programs. The FHPI will randomly select 1,000 local area residents to receive a written questionnaire and a postage paid return reply envelope will be provided.  Questionnaire should be received by March 19, 2012.   Resident input in filling out and returning the questionnaire is very critical and residents who receive the questionnaire are are encouraged to fill out and return.  Information and data gathered is private and confidential but will assist in FCMH to developing additional strategic plans in order to continue to meet our community needed hospital services. 


The Delta RHPI Project activities are contracted to Mountain States Group of Boise, Idaho, who partners with the Rural Health Resource Center of Duluth, Minnesota, and focus on strengthening rural hospitals as the cornerstone to preserving health care access. RHPI is a source of technical expertise and business tools to help hospitals in the Delta Region achieve performance improvement goals.

Eligible hospitals are those with fewer than 200 beds and are located in the Delta Regions of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. MSG works in coordination with the State Offices of Rural Health, the State Hospital Associations, and Quality Improvement Organizations to coordinate activities.

You may get additional  information about questionnaire by contacting Ms. Linda Powell, Rural Hospital Performance Improvement Project at 1-800-836-8064 ext 235 or FCMH at 601-384-5801.

"Support the Effort" 

Source: FCNews Staff Writer, Ms. Linda Powell - RHPI Coordinator, RHPI News Release, Public Information