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The Mississippi State Health Department hired an outside contractor a little over a year ago to assess how well the state responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The answer, according to the report: pretty well.

But this counters a previous report from a nonprofit that ranked Mississippi’s response last in the nation.

The new report highlights the state’s strong suits — use of data visualization, targeted vaccination clinics for underserved populations and consistently working and communicating with state and local agencies. It also lists areas for improvement, which include investing in its workforce, maintaining public information campaigns during long-term COVID-19 recovery and unifying its purchasing process.

Mississippi’s COVID-19 response, led by the state Health Department, was officially from March 2020, when the first cases of coronavirus were identified in Mississippi, until November 2021, when Gov. Tate Reeves’ state of emergency declaration expired.

And while the state-contracted report deemed Mississippi’s response to COVID-19 widely “a success,” another report by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund released in 2022 ranked Mississippi’s pandemic response last in the country.

“Due to the magnitude of the pandemic, it is likely recovery efforts will be ongoing,” the new report reads. “The recovery from COVID-19 cannot be solved by one single entity, and the responsibility is on the entire State of Mississippi to address these gaps.” 

The new 198-page report goes into great detail in every pandemic response category, offering both suggestions for improvement and highlighting the state’s strengths in each area.

Drive-thru testing and vaccination sites were deemed one of Mississippi’s strengths because they “allowed for safe and efficient mass testing and vaccination.” It also noted the support the Mississippi National Guard provided at these sites, and highlighted the state’s success in vaccinating its most vulnerable populations. 

But the report took issue with delays in setting up those sites, which the contractor chalked up to a “lack of coordination.” Contributing to these delays were staffing issues, brought on in part by mixed messages about working from home early on in the state’s response, travel challenges, long-hours and insufficient time off. The report recommends investing in the state Health Department’s workforce with competitive wages and training opportunities. 

The state agency has long struggled with staffing — State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney said in June that the agency was experiencing a vacancy rate of over 40% across departments.

The contractor said while the state consistently and equitably shared information, it was harder to stay informed when the COVID-19 response transitioned into long-term recovery. 

Data visualization was also a strong suit — during the state’s response, efficient usage of data and other technologies helped the state communicate and make decisions. However, the report notes the huge requests made of the state’s epidemiologists, an already strained staff.

The state performed well in the health equity category. Its homebound vaccination program and multiple-language outreach resources were especially praised. The report recommends that the state expand its translation services.

And while the report determined the state didn’t lose any money on fraudulent purchases, like other states and hiring a contractor to assist with submitting reimbursements worked well, the state health department’s procurement process was not unified and more robust documentation within the finance department were recommended.

The Mississippi Public Health Laboratory was generally lauded in the report, though the contractor noted it needs more resources and supplies were limited during the state’s pandemic response, and that the lab should be involved in agency drills and exercises moving forward.

The report’s findings, which will be used to improve emergency planning, are the result of research that began in November 2022, assessing the thousands of people involved with the state’s pandemic response, including employees of the health department, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Board of Animal Health, the National Guard and the Department of Environmental Quality, as well as private contractors. 

Mississippi was one of the first states during the first year of the pandemic to ease masking and public crowd restrictions. Shortly after Reeves lifted the state’s mask rules, while delta wave cases skyrocketed, he said CDC indoor masking recommendations were “foolish.”

Reeves made it clear a few months ago that his opinion on masking hasn’t changed. In August, when COVID-19 cases briefly surged, Reeves issued a press release encouraging Mississippians to avoid succumbing to “fear” and said he would not be reinstating a mask mandate.

Since the start of the pandemic, 15,172 Mississippians have died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mississippi’s total deaths per 100,000 people is 438.2. The national rate is 292.2, as of January 2024.

The post Report highlights strengths, weaknesses of Mississippi’s pandemic response appeared first on Mississippi Today.

It is the question I get asked most no matter where I go: at a civic club, the barber shop, a tavern, the golf course, the grocery store or just about anywhere else.

Goes like this: So, how do you really feel about name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal?

Here’s the truth: I hate the combination of the two. I despise what the two, together, have done to college sports, which is rip away the foundation of what the college sports experience was supposed to be about, both for participants and for spectators. Simply put, for me, it is not as much fun as it once was.

I hasten to add, that is not because some athletes are making hundreds of thousands of dollars or that some are becoming rich before they even know what to do with the riches. Ever since college sports became a TV-fueled multi-billion dollar industry, I have believed the athletes should share in the spoils.

Just not this way, with the right to play musical schools on an annual basis depending on who offers the most money. It’s free agency without guidelines and without a salary cap – and really, without any regard for education. The richest schools will get the best players, and the poor will get the hell beat out of them.

I was talking the other day with a wealthy fan of one of our Mississippi universities. He has done really well financially and has always supported his school’s teams and facilities, donating significantly. But he has drawn a line where the NIL is concerned. This is what he told me: “I am not about to donate tens of thousands of dollars to a collective so our star running back can go out and buy himself a Porsche and then drive it off next year to Tuscaloosa or Baton Rouge for a better deal.”

But it’s happening everywhere. In 2019, 6.5% of all Division I football players had transferred at least once. This past season, more than 20% had. More than 2,100 Division I players have entered the portal this year. That figure will continue to rise. To say it doesn’t always work out for those who enter the portal is an understatement. In 2022, of all the college basketball players who entered the portal, nearly 20% wound up without a college scholarship anywhere.

Sports participation teaches many life lessons, one of which is that perseverance and hard work in the face of disappointment will pay off in the end. The portal teaches the opposite. Used to be that if you were a second teamer and weren’t getting on the field or court as much as you desired, you buckled down and worked harder. Now? “Screw this,” they tell the coach, “I’m going in the portal.”

College coaching has changed forever. Tough love is out. Coaching on eggshells is in.

“There’s no holding players accountable,” a retired college basketball coach told me. “Used to, you could use the bench as a motivator. Now, they’ll just leave.”

Here, the biggest news in this football portal season has been Ole Miss running star Quinshon Judkins moving from on to Ohio State after two seasons in Oxford.

Regular readers of this column know how I feel about Judkins’ football abilities and performance. His blend of vision, power, balance, quickness, toughness and speed remind me of my favorite football player ever, Walter Payton. The great linebacker D.D. Lewis once told me Payton was the most difficult to tackle he ever faced. “It hurt to tackle Payton,” D.D. said. “It was like trying to tackle a 215-pound bowling ball.”

Judkins runs like that. When he gets tackled, it hurts the other guy worse than him.

Now, he’s a Buckeye after providing 34 touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards from scrimmage in two seasons at Ole Miss. All indications are that Judkins shopped his availability around the country and that, in the end, he will make less money at Ohio State than he was making at Ole Miss.

Then there’s the case of Will Rogers, the ex-Brandon and Mississippi State quarterback, who had planned to transfer to Washington, this past season’s No. 2 team in the country. But Kalen DeBoer, the Washington coach, has taken the Alabama job and Rogers is back in the transfer portal. 

Fans have had to adjust, too. In 2020, Malik Heath caught the only two Mississippi State touchdowns in a 31-14 loss to Ole Miss. A year later, Heath made just one catch in another Egg Bowl loss to Ole Miss. In 2022, Heath entered the portal and switched sides. He played for Ole Miss, making five catches for 80 yards in the Egg Bowl. State got the last laugh, winning 24-22. Heath, 0-3 in Egg Bowls, now plays for the Green Bay Packers.

Such a switch of allegiances would have been unthinkable in the old days. Not now.

It will take some time to adjust. Not sure I ever will.

The post Trying to make sense of NIL and the transfer portal, like it or not appeared first on Mississippi Today.

The arctic temps in mid-Mississippi bring back some memories, plus college basketball update, a look at the NFL playoffs, an homage to Nick “The GOAT” Saban, the college coaching merry-go-round, and Wilson Furr’s PGA Tour debut.

Stream all episodes here.

The post Podcast: Remembering a frigid day in Chicago with Walter Payton and his sweet mama, plus a whole lot more. appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Deep South Today will receive a $2 million grant as part of a round of funding announced today by the American Journalism Project (AJP).

“We are immensely grateful to the American Journalism Project for this strategic support, which will further increase our capacity to provide the highest quality news and information for the communities we serve,” said Warwick Sabin, President and CEO of Deep South Today. “We are committed to meeting the need for local journalism that exists across our region, and we appreciate the trust and confidence that AJP is bestowing upon us to carry our critical mission forward.”

Deep South Today is a nonprofit network of local newsrooms that includes Mississippi Today and Verite News. Founded in 2016, Mississippi Today is now one of the largest newsrooms in the state, and in 2023 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Verite News launched in 2022 in New Orleans, where it covers inequities facing communities of color. With its regional scale and scope, Deep South Today is rebuilding and re-energizing local journalism in communities where it had previously eroded, and ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability.

“This support from the American Journalism Project reaffirms that Mississippi Today is moving the needle,” said Mary Margaret White, Mississippi Today CEO. “Thanks to supporters like AJP, we will continue to  grow our newsroom and expand our coverage to meet the information needs of the communities we call home.”

The grant from AJP will be directed toward building business infrastructure that will support the growth of local newsrooms across the Deep South, bringing high-quality public service journalism to communities that are underserved. In 2019, AJP made a three-year, $1 million investment in Mississippi Today. In that time, the organization nearly doubled its annual revenue, built the largest newsroom in the state and produced noteworthy journalism, including its 2023 Pulitzer-prize winning Backchannel series.

“We are in the midst of a rebirth in local news across this country, driven by a new generation of local news innovators changing the way we sustain community journalism in this country,” said Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the American Journalism Project.  “Each of these organizations have compelling visions for journalism that strengthens their communities. We’re thrilled to partner with them to help them build enduring organizations.”

Since its founding in 2019, AJP has committed $55.3 million to a portfolio of 44 grantee partners, including 40 established news organizations and four concepts under incubation. With these new grantees, AJP’s portfolio representsnearly 20 percent of the Institute for Nonprofit News members focused on local or statewide news.

In addition to funding, AJP will provide Deep South Today with strategic assistance to grow its revenue, strengthen its organizations, and expand the local reporting capacity of its newsrooms. This includes venture support, coaching, peer learning and capacity building. Over the three-year grant period, Deep South Today will be able to reinvest its increased revenue back into its newsrooms to expand their ability to do more original reporting. AJP’s first cohort of grantees grew their combined revenue by $15 million over three years, resulting in a 4.9x return on AJP’s annual investment, and grew their news budgets by 66 percent.

Since 2019, the American Journalism Project has raised $168 million for local news, including nearly $60 million from local philanthropies to support local news initiatives in their markets. In 2023, AJP received several commitments of note, most recently $5 million from the Abrams Foundation, which represents a significant increase in their commitment. It also received $500,000 from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, which joined OpenAI’s $5 million commitment to enable the launch of AJP’s new Product & AI Studio.

The post Deep South Today Receives $2 Million Grant from American Journalism Project appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Jan. 17, 1931

Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, James Earl Jones moved to his grandparents’ farm in Michigan at age 5. 

He had a stutter so severe, he hardly spoke. An English teacher realized his gift for writing poetry and had him recite poetry in front of the class, overcoming his stuttering. 

At the University of Michigan, he was majoring in pre-med when he discovered drama. After training troops in the Korean War, he starred in “Othello” at the Ramsdell Theatre in Michigan. In 1967, he starred opposite actress Jane Alexander in “The Great White Hope,” loosely based on heavyweight champion Jack Johnson and society’s demand for a white boxer that would defeat Johnson. The play began at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., before moving to Broadway, where the play, Jones and Alexander all won Tonys. In the film adaptation, Jones won a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. 

He went on to play Shakespeare on Broadway and win another Tony, three Emmys and an honorary Oscar in 2011. The first celebrity guest on Sesame Street, he may be best known for providing the voice for Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies and for Mufasa in Disney’s “The Lion King.” 

He sees the two biggest challenges to society as health and sanity. “I won’t say racism,” he said. “I say sanity because racism is a form of insanity.”

The post On this day in 1931 appeared first on Mississippi Today.

As Medicaid expansion remains a top political issue in Mississippi — and sure to be debated this legislative session — one group will be advocating for the policy on the front lines.

Care4Mississippi is a coalition of 36 partner organizations, and growing, focused on getting Medicaid expanded in Mississippi. 

Co-chair Kimberly Hughes, who’s also the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s government relations director, says this is the first time the coalition will be “active” during the legislative session, but the work on this issue began years ago. 

Many of the coalition’s current partners were part of the Yes on 76 campaign, which was a statewide effort to get expansion of Medicaid on the 2022 ballot through the state’s ballot-initiative process.

However, the campaign was suspended in May 2021 after the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that the state’s initiative process was invalid. Since then, efforts to reinstate it have failed. 

There is currently no ballot initiative process in Mississippi, which is meant to allow citizens to circumvent politicians and place an issue on a statewide ballot for voter consideration.

Yes on 76 stakeholders took a few months off, Hughes said, before convening to create Care4Mississippi in 2022.

“We’ve tried to keep the issue alive and keep partners engaged, especially after we had to change our plans to more of a legislative campaign,” Hughes said.

The organization was less active in 2023 because it was an election year, she said, and focused its efforts on recruiting partners. It appeared many people were waiting to see who won the gubernatorial election, in which incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves bested his pro-expansion Democratic opponent Brandon Presley, before deciding to get involved with the coalition, Hughes said. 

Since the coalition spent the past year preparing for this legislative session, it’s coming armed with a trove of information on Medicaid expansion.

“We want to be that clearinghouse for information,” she said. “There’s momentum around this issue, in the public and the press and with some of our lawmakers, so we’ve been trying to get ready for that.”

The coalition’s website already features resources for people who want to learn more, including national and state research that underlines the policy’s benefits for Mississippi, as well as a data map created by the coalition that shows how Medicaid expansion would impact every county in Mississippi. 

Researchers estimate somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 Mississippians currently fall in Medicaid’s coverage gap — they make too much to qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford insurance on their own — and would be insured if the policy was expanded to the working poor as most other states have done. 

Coalition leaders say information is essential to dispelling myths about expansion perpetuated by state officials and empowering Mississippians to advocate for the policy.

Reeves remains a staunch opponent and has referred to expanding Medicaid health coverage as adding more people to the state’s welfare rolls. 

“We want to be a credible center voice on the issue of creating a solution or covering those who have no affordable option for health insurance,” said Blair Ewing, the coalition’s program coordinator and lobbyist. “We want to challenge our leaders to work together to find solutions, stop hospital closures and create access to care for Mississippi families.”

Moving forward, Ewing said the coalition’s strategy will revolve around recruiting more partners and getting the word out as much as possible, which will include hosting a “Capitol Day” on Feb. 22. The coalition will have a table in the State Capitol’s rotunda to educate passersby about expansion and host a press event on the Capitol steps. 

Hughes is hopeful about movement on expansion in Mississippi during this year’s legislative session, especially since new Speaker of the House Jason White says the House will at least consider the policy. His predecessor, Phillip Gunn, was an outspoken opponent and prevented the full House from voting on it during his tenure.

Ewing said that getting the policy passed starts with arming people with the information they need and stressed that anyone, organization or individual, can join on the coalition’s website. Some of its current members include the heavily involved Mississippi Health Advocacy Program, as well as the Mississippi Center for Justice, Mississippi Hospital Association, American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, Center for Mississippi Health Policy and American Heart Association.

“I think if constituents knew more, if there was more information out there and they actually started going to their congressman about it, then things would change,” she said. “There’s an unbelievable amount of support in the state for closing that Medicaid coverage gap — we know people want our legislators to do something about it.”

The post Coalition of 36 organizations pushes lawmakers for Medicaid expansion in Mississippi appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Gov. Tate Reeves will call a Thursday special session to ask lawmakers to appropriate $350 million in state funds to close an economic development deal that would bring an electric vehicle battery facility to north Mississippi.

The multibillion dollar project, if approved, is slated to be constructed at the Chickasaw Trails Industrial Park in Marshall County near the Mississippi-Tennessee state line. State officials recently invested around $1.1 million in the industrial park.

Reeves on Tuesday declined to name the companies involved in the proposed deal, but the Daily Memphian reported that the project is a joint venture between Daimler Truck Holdings, PACCAR and Cummins Truck Holdings. The three manufacturers announced plans last year to jointly invest $2 billion to $3 billion in a battery production facility. 

“Economic development is a team sport,” Reeves said. “It’s not partisan. It doesn’t matter what part of the state it is. This is going to change lives for thousands and thousands of people in north Mississippi, in Marshall County and beyond.”

The project will include a $1.9 billion corporate capital investment, create 2,000 jobs and pay workers an average salary of $66,000, according to the governor, who is asking lawmakers to appropriate around $350 million in taxpayer funds to contribute to the project.

About half the money the Legislature spends on the economic deal would go toward infrastructure around the facility, and the other half would go toward the business itself, Reeves said.

The governor also said he was “highly confident” the business leaders would offer a generous benefit package, including health insurance, to the employees at the new facility.

The special session will begin on Thursday and both House Speaker Jason White, R-West, and Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said they anticipate legislation approving the deal will clear the House and Senate quickly. 

Rep. John Faulkner, D-Holly Springs, and Rep. Bill Kinkade, R-Byhalia, told Mississippi Today that the Marshall County Board of Supervisors and the local economic development leaders have worked with state officials for months on the project and believe it will improve the overall area.

“It’s exciting for us,” Faulkner said of the economic project. “I’m glad we have an opportunity to land this project in Marshall County. I think it’s going to be a game changer and change lives. It’s going to mean a tremendous amount of growth for our community.”

If lawmakers approve the economic development project, it will be the second type of deal since Reeves became governor where lawmakers have appropriated state tax dollars. Reeves signed legislation into law in November 2022 for money and tax incentives to benefit Steel Dynamics expanding in Columbus.

The post Gov. Reeves asks lawmakers to appropriate $350 million in state funds to Marshall County EV battery deal appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Arctic cold snaps like this one have always been Kryptonite to Jackson’s brittle water system.

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In this episode of Mississippi Stories, Editor-at-Large Marshall Ramsey sits down with Denise Lafferty, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer, and Dr. Kim Tarver, Director of Clinical Services, from UMMC’s MIND Center.

The MIND Center, founded in 2010, was created to crack the code in Alzheimer’s, a devastating and growing form of dementia. One in 10 baby boomers will be diagnosed with the disease. To help combat dementia, the MIND Center has a three-prong mission: Research, Health Care and Education.

Lafferty and Tarver both talk about the research, ways to reduce your chances of getting the disease and ways you can take care of your brain.

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