The Governor’s office is overseeing how $206 million allocated by the federal government will be spent in the state. And meetings held last year were done mostly behind closed doors with a select group of healthcare stakeholders.
A joint committee of the House and Senate met on June 4 to question Richard Grimes, who now leads the state’s Office of the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).
Democratic Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory opened the meeting by asking for a clear explanation of who was involved in the early planning sessions. He said, “I would like to know who was involved in those meetings. Did people at the Governor’s office communicate with other folks? If so, who?”
Grimes was tapped by Reeves to serve as Executive Director for the office only four weeks ago. Because his tenure with the office is so short, he was unable to answer many questions relating to the meetings held last summer. And when discussing the timeline of events, Grimes said funding wasn’t made available to the state to hire for his position until April of this year.
When asked about future outreach and transparency, Grimes said “What we’re trying to do is get information out and try to be transparent. I know there’s a lot that’s gone into where we are today. But we’re honestly trying to move from planning to implementation today. And so that’s where we are. We’re trying to get information rolled out.”
Earlier this year, Reeves vetoed a bill that would have created guidelines for how the RHTP could be administered, citing that federal timelines are too narrow for any delays. Grimes echoed those concerns, saying that regulatory oversight by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has tight deadlines, and any additional state oversight could delay spending funds, risking federal clawbacks.
Republican Representative Sam Creekmore of New Albany co-chaired the meeting, asked Grimes to explain the staffing for the office. Grimes said he is the only employee in his department at the Governor’s office. While he is able to hire attorneys, the largest partner for carrying out the fund is the advisory firm BDO.
Richard Roberson, President and CEO of the Mississippi Hospital Association, also attended the meeting. He said many of his questions remain unanswered.
“These funds need to go to those areas of greatest need. Urban hospitals take care of patients from rural areas, and they need some support as well. But if those rural hospitals and the rural healthcare systems can be thriving, then it takes some of that pressure off our urban hospitals.”
Applications for the grant funding are expected to open later this year, but it’s still not clear what health providers will qualify for the assistance.
