BMH-MS One of 61 hospitals receiving staffing assistance

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is currently contracting with four vendors to provide medical personnel to 61 hospitals statewide to meet the staffing shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mississippi State Department of Health is coordinating with applicable licensing boards to vet the licenses of all health care workers who are contracted. Vendors are selected based on pricing and staffing availability. 

The state is currently contracting with the following vendors: H&S, Snapnurse, GQR and Maxim. Additional vendors have been contacted to assist in medical staffing shortages.

Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi in Oxford is one of the 61 hospitals receiving staffing assistance.

“We are doing whatever it takes to get boots on the ground in our hospitals,” said Gov. Tate Reeves Tuesday. “Today, we are deploying over 1,000 health care personnel within nine business days of the initial request. Our top priority is to ensure that every Mississippian who can get better with quality care receives that care. We are grateful for those that are answering the call to alleviate the pressure on our health care workers. To the current health care staff in the state, we thank you for your continued dedication to our fellow Mississippians.”

Starting today, 808 nurses, three certified registered nurse anesthetists, 22 nurse practitioners, 193 respiratory therapists and 20 paramedics will deploy to 50 hospitals. Onboarding medical staffing is a phased-in approach. Level 1 and 2 trauma hospital requests have been fulfilled. Level 3 hospital requests are being processed and fulfilled. All staffing requests should be met by the end of the week.

“Medical staffing provided by the state is for the COVID-19 mission to address the surge of patients due to the Delta variant. Our staff has worked tirelessly to give our hospitals the relief they need and deserve. We are working with FEMA to secure reimbursement for these contracts worth roughly $10 million a week statewide for eight and a half weeks. MEMA stands ready to coordinate any additional resources needed,” says MEMA Executive Director Stephen McCraney.

MEMA is requesting an expedited federal reimbursement from FEMA to cover the costs of medical staffing contracts.

The medical staffing needs advertised in the original “request for quote” included 65 physicians, 920 registered nurses, 41 CRNAs, 59 nurse practitioners (APN), 34 physician assistants, 239 respiratory therapists and 20 EMT paramedics. Nineteen vendors supplied RFQs.

Staff report