Gov. Bryant

“We brought a group of businessmen, healthcare professionals and public officials from all across the state to Houston, Texas, to see what a success story this has been,” Bryant said in a video update during the tour. “If you talk patient care, research and education, it is all here at this medical city. We have a great opportunity to create thousands of jobs in the healthcare industry in research and education. We are here to see the best practices of the Texas Medical Center and bring them back to Mississippi.”

Participants in the tour, which was paid for by private donations, included representatives from many of the state’s largest hospitals, clinics and health insurance companies including St. Dominic Health Services, Baptist Health System, the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), Methodist Rehab Center, Jackson Heart Clinic, and the Mississippi Department of Health. Also represented were Phelps Dunbar, Trustmark, Jackson Comprehensive Health, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, AT&T, the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson, Flowood Mayor Gary Rhodes, and four members of the Mississippi Legislature.

The visit included presentations on state healthcare initiatives from TMC COO Bob Stott, and John Kajander, senior vice president. The center’s

President\CEO Richard E. Wainerdi talked to the Mississippi delegation on the history, scope and impact of the TMC, including a discussion of how they developed a culture of collaboration among competitors. Other presentations included concentrating and partnering in life science research to spur growth and development.

TMC includes 21 academic institutions, 14 hospitals, three medical schools and six nursing schools. The four-square-kilometer area encompasses 162 buildings, and 6,800 patient beds. There are 93,500 employees including 20,000 physicians, scientists, researchers and other advanced degree professionals in life science.

The annual regional economic impact is estimated at $14 billion.

One unique feature of TMC is that it encourages growth and development by buying or receiving gifts of land, which it makes available to member institutions for $1 per year. The TMC’s focus is to “help set the stage for the cross-pollination of ideas, projects and best practices, and foster collaboration among TMC member institutions for the greater good of advanced health, science and education.”

Bryant has suggested a public-private partnership to create a medical city around the campus at the University of Mississippi Medical Center on State Street to the Farmer’s Market area. Plans include demolishing the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, and constructing a smaller, new stadium for Jackson State University on its campus.

Bryant said that the old stadium could be the center for a medical city that would “be the envy of the entire nation.”

Tom Joiner, MD, president of the Mississippi State Medical Association (MSMA) said the healthcare community believes the medical city proposal has a lot of promise.

“If what he envisions comes to fruition, it will be a win-win for Mississippi, and for doctors and patients all over the state,” Joiner said. “One of the biggest contributors to the economy is the medical profession. Even individual doctors employing nurses and other health professionals, and ordering therapy when needed, really stimulates the economy.”

Another element of the program Joiner is particularly pleased with is the proposal to increase the number of medical residencies. When medical school graduates go elsewhere to do their residency, they are likely to stay in those areas – so the state loses out.

“Gov. Bryant wants to train more graduates here so they don’t have to go to

Atlanta, Miami, New York and Dallas for their residencies,” Joiner said. “That aspect of what the governor has planned dovetails with the UMMC’s recent announcement of a cooperative agreement with Health Management Associates – the hospital group that owns the Central Mississippi Medical Center, River Oaks and other hospitals in the state. Both of these plans are going to dovetail together and open quite a few slots for graduate medical education.”

St. Dominic Hospital President/CEO Claude W. Harbarger said the visit to Texas Medical Center was a lesson in collaboration. Nearly 50 providers and agencies that have come together there to share their strengths and create an environment dedicated to greater access for patients. Harbarger said Jackson already has many of the components in place to develop a similar structure. Some of the state’s largest and most comprehensive acute care hospitals, as well as many ancillary care services, all reside within a short distance of one another.

“A significant amount of physical infrastructure is in place,” Harbarger said. “Our next step would be to take what we learned in Texas, and work on mutually beneficial ways to better collaborate and strengthen our own market.”

Harbarger said leaders envision a collaborative effort among local providers that could act as a medical hub in which a wide array of health services and specialties could be found in one convenient location. Such a hub would create easier access to a wider range of services for residents in Mississippi and an attractive option for those in neighboring states who need access to the highest levels of care.

“Collaborative activities could help make Jackson a destination location for healthcare for a much broader geographic region than currently exists,” Harbarger said.

Aaron Shirley, MD, chairman of the board, Jackson Medical Mall, supports the medical city concept.

“I hope that Gov. Bryant will keep in mind the Jackson Medical Mall, which I think has set the stage for such an endeavor,” Shirley said. “It has proven, on a smaller scale, that agencies working together, as we have put together here at the mall, contributes to better health, economic development and job creation.”

Shirley said since the Jackson Medical Mall was created, access to healthcare has been enhanced which improves health outcomes, lowers cost and improves work productivity. The mall has also generated business activity in the area.

“Traffic in and out of the area has contributed to economic development and growth,” Shirley said. “It has changed the culture of the neighborhood in terms of perception. With the new dynamics in healthcare, it is also creating training opportunities to increase the health work force. It is exposing individuals to health careers. And if you talk to hospitals and other agencies about their shortage of nurses and other healthcare professionals, we are in a position to expose individuals who never thought they could fit into the arena.

 Now they see for themselves how they can, and we are offering opportunities for training,” Shirley said.

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