Twenty rural hospitals and health providers in Mississippi will receive a total of $3.75 million in federal grants through the Rural Hospital Provider Assistance Program, announced U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. The funds, allocated in FY2026, aim to help sustain workforce and care services. The grants, administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration, were awarded to 132 hospitals nationwide, including the 20 in Mississippi.
The Mississippi facilities receiving funding include Anderson Regional Medical Center-South Campus, Meridian Baptist Memorial Hospital, Booneville Clay County Medical Corporation, West Point George County Hospital, Greenwood Leflore Hospital, Picayune Highland Hills Medical Center, Senatobia Jasper General Hospital, Bay Springs Kings Daughters Medical Center, Brookhaven Magee General Hospital, Marion General Hospital, Columbia Neshoba County General Hospital, Philadelphia Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, Clarksdale South Sunflower County Hospital, Indianola Tishomingo Health Services, Iuka University of Mississippi Medical Center-Grenada, Wayne General Hospital, Water Valley Webster Health Services, Eupora Winston Medical Services, Louisville Yalobusha General Hospital.
Additionally, the Mississippi Business Alliance Foundation and the Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Charitable Foundation announced that the Cook Foundation has taken over responsibility for the Student-Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) Program. Established in 1965, the program honors Mississippi’s top high school seniors and their teachers for academic excellence, recognizing hundreds of students annually across public, private, and independent schools based on ACT scores and sustained achievement.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
