Thursday, August 18, 2022, 3:37 pm News Flash Archive

This afternoon, Greenwood Leflore Hospital circulated a press release stating that it is re-opening most of its services, but will not be admitting hospital patients at this time.

The hospital had to close last Monday due to backed up sewer lines. All its patients were either discharged or transferred to other hospitals. See our previous reporting here: Greenwood Leflore Hospital provides more details about sewage woes, takes steps to prepare to re-open

The hospital press release contains this surprising statement:

The hospital continues to be on diversion and is temporarily delaying the re-opening of inpatient services. Further analysis is required to determine with labor shortages and higher labor costs how we can continue to operate while remaining viable until a lease is finalized.

GLH has severe financial problems and is seeking a larger institution to lease and operate the hospital. The lease bids are due August 31. See our reporting on the lease solicitation here: Details emerge of proposed "Request for Proposals" to lease the Greenwood Leflore Hospital

GLH announced today that its other services are now open again:

The hospital has received approval by the State Department of Health of the scope of work for remediation of the underground crawl spaces related to the sewage line event, and clean-up efforts have been completed. The building has met air quality safety standards throughout the event and has been determined safe to return to normal operations.

Throughout the sewage line event, the hospital continued to operate the Labor & Delivery Unit, continued to accept walk in patients to the Emergency Department, and also continued to operate clinics located outside of the main hospital building. Retail Pharmacy and Cafe Leflore also remained open. All of these services will continue to operate.

Effective today, the hospital resumed outpatient surgeries, as well as outpatient testing in Radiology and the Laboratory. Clinics located inside the hospital will also re-open per their normal hours of operation.

GLH officials praised the hard work by hospital staff and many others:

Interim Chief Executive Officer, Gary Marchand, credited the hospital's Incident Command Staff for their excellent leadership skills throughout the sewage line event. "I really wish the community could have seen what they're able to do", said Marchand regarding their planning and implementation efforts.

On behalf of the Hospital Board of Commissioners, Chairman Harris Powers praised hospital staff for their efforts and energy and thanked them for a job well done.

The hospital's Incident Command Staff members are grateful to hospital employees for all they have done and for their patience as we worked through this sewage line event.

They are also appreciative for the support and all offers for assistance from our community, as well as surrounding communities. They would especially like to express appreciation to all parties involved in the discovery and remediation efforts during the sewage line event.

Key Britt, Incident Commander, stated, "This was definitely a team effort. We have so many people to thank for their support and partnership."

This extensive list includes, but is not limited to, City of Greenwood; County of Leflore; Mississippi State Department of Health; Atmos Energy; ServPro; emergency medical service providers, including MedStat, Pafford, and Priority One; and surrounding hospitals that worked with us to accept patient transfers....

To view the entire press release, see here: Greenwood Leflore Hospital Re-opens After Sewage Line Event

To review our reporting on GLH and its financial woes, please see here: Index of Greenwood Leflore Hospital news articles

John Pittman Hey
The Taxpayers Channel

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