would have been possible,” said Gibbs. The hospital is a division of CCH. It’s part of a partnership that also includes South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel, Simpson General Hospital in Mendenhall, and Magee General Hospital in Magee, all with Gibbes as CEO. Other local medical facilities have welcomed the new hospital, referring patients and using its lab services. New Type of Hospital The facility is a “rural emergency hospital” – a new federal category that went into effect on January 1, 2023. The designation is intended to make rural healthcare more financially viable. Rural emergency hospitals are allowed to provide emergency and outpatient services. Patients requiring stays of more than 24 hours generally must be transferred to other facilities. Smith County Emergency Hospital became Mississippi’s eighth rural emergency hospital. No other state has more than five. Financial Pressures The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, a policy center based in Pittsburgh, reported in February 2025 that nearly 200 rural hospitals have closed over the past two decades. In Mississippi, the report says, six rural hospitals have closed since 2005. It doesn’t have to be that way, Gibbes said. “Mississippi has some very successful rural hospitals. We are very intentional about collaboration and thinking outside of the box.” Careful Planning He and the CCH board spent months fine-tuning the new hospital’s business plan. “The financial sustainability and economic impact of this project are significant,” he said. “With job creation, economic development, increased access to care, and services that previously did not exist, we have a solid foundation for success.” If the community’s enthusiastic initial embrace of the hospital continues, then services eventually could be expanded, Gibbes said. Local Solution “The best part of the story is that neighboring rural hospitals are providing the solution, not someone from out of town or out of state who’s out of touch,” he said. “Our independent rural hospitals are partnering together to create a solution for a neighboring community that has a need.” It all comes down to the community, Gibbes said. “The support that they’ve demonstrated is proof that this thing is going to be successful.” CovingtonCares 18 For more info about Smith County Emergency, call 601.374.9070 or scan the QR code. LEARN MORE 2025 Spring/Summer 18
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