University of Mississippi Medical Center to assume Greenwood Leflore Hospital property

The University of Mississippi Medical Center could assume ownership of Greenwood Leflore Hospital after the City of Greenwood, Leflore County and the hospital’s board agreed to donate the property, IHL Senior Associate Commissioner for Finance John Pearce said. Pearce said the donation would come at no cost to UMMC and is intended to keep medical services in the area.

A donation approval by the Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning could allow the facility to continue serving residents and become a learning center for doctors who plan to practice in community settings, Pearce said. He said Greenwood Leflore Hospital and adjoining properties have an appraised value of more than $1 million and that UMMC “intends to utilize the facility to expand healthcare services and create additional training opportunities for students, residents and fellows in the community hospital setting.”

Pearce said a portion of the property, the Flex building, sits on 16th Section land and that its lease does not expire until July 2046. Board of Trustees member Gee Ogletree said the acceptance of the donation was carefully considered. “This has been an area that we looked at very carefully,” Ogletree said, adding that the university chancellor and his team provided detailed information on the risks and opportunities involved.

The transfer is expected to prevent the hospital’s closure after an April memo to employees warned the facility was at risk of shutting down. The memo said the hospital was set to close by June 15 if a financial workaround was not found and said Medicaid had “recouped $2.5 million in payments that would have been received by the hospital. An additional $5 million remains at risk.” The memo also referenced potential bankruptcy and ongoing talks with a “larger entity,” saying “there is no guarantee that negotiations with the larger system will be successful.”

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