This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

• Canning has long been a family tradition in the south. Since COVID, there has been a steady increase in people wanting to learn to grow their food and preserve it for later consumption.

As a middle schooler, it seemed that my parents planted the most enormous garden in Peoria County, Illinois. It felt like acres. But it wasn’t. I dreaded summer because it meant lots of work—planting, pulling weeds, and harvesting.

Potatoes and onions went into the ground first, followed by the cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts. There were rows and rows of green beans, corn, cucumbers, pumpkins, beets, carrots, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and lima beans. There was a corner for the garlic. And Mom, famous for her pies, had to have an area for her rhubarb. Sorry, no okra.

And let’s not forget the long row of concord grapes that extended the length of the garden. Did I say we had an enormous garden? Also, there were about twelve dwarf apple trees, strawberries, and red raspberries.

When the produce started coming in, Mom grated heads of cabbage into a large crock for sauerkraut. The cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts went into the freezer, and cucumbers became dill and the best sweet pickles you ever tasted. But the abundance of green beans drove me crazy. After a morning’s picking, it was not unusual to haul in five-bushel baskets.

My mom, grandma, sisters, and I gathered in our basement; each person had a basket to snap off the ends and break them into thirds. We sat in our basement all day, snapping off the ends and breaking them into thirds. The hours passed slowly. Some fifty-plus years later, I can still see my mom and grandma washing the canning jars, filling them with green beans, a little salt, and water. Then, into the pressure canner. Mom worked up into the night. It was long, arduous work. She had to learn the entire gardening process because she didn’t grow up in the country or on a farm. My paternal grandparents were her teachers, along with trial and error.

Home Food Processing in Mississippi

I brought those experiences and training with me to the Magnolia State. However, my garden was a fourth in size, and items like purple hull peas, okra, butter beans, and G90 corn replaced those rows and rows of green beans.

Investment in canning jars, freezer containers, water bath and steam pressure canners became new items in my kitchen.

Because of my boy’s involvement in 4-H, I learned about the Mississippi State University Extension Service. I was amazed at the extensive list of classes and brochures available to consumers. Furthermore, I was impressed with the availability of the Extension Agents.

This summer, the extension service has offered Home Food Preservation Workshops throughout the state. I contacted Lara Angel, Extension Agent III, DeSoto County Extension Office in Hernando. She has worked in extension offices in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi. This coming September, she will start her eighteenth year of extension work.

Ms. Angel has been busy this summer offering Home Food Preservation Workshops. The third one held yesterday at the Hernando Public Library. The program was free, but the workshop was $30 which included lunch and supplies. Interest was high – the workshop was at maximum capacity.

The Growth of Home Canning

When asked if there has been an increase in the number of people involved with home food preservation, Angel said, “Every county is different, so not everyone offers home canning workshops or classes like we do here in DeSoto. We get a high interest in home canning due to our large population, people wanting to ‘homestead.’ Therefore, I plan specific programs to meet clients’ local demands and requests.”

Angel said that since COVID, she has seen a steady increase in people wanting to learn to grow their food and preserve it for later consumption.

”I started working for MSU Extension in 2014, and over the years, there has been interest in this area, but nothing like what I see today. More and more people want to return to the basics and learn things their parents and grandparents did years ago. Home canning isn’t taught in school; even if it is, it does not interest teens today. People turn to social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other websites to learn more information. That information isn’t always correct.”

It’s important to be cautious when canning.

“If you ‘home can’ using some of these practices you read about online, you can make yourself or your family sick,” said Angel. “Home canning is a science, so using a research-based recipe and research-based information is critical. We don’t want anyone to get sick and possibly die from botulism.”

Angel says that MSU Extension offers home canner dial gauge testing.

“Each year, it’s recommended that you test your pressure canner dial gauge. We provide this service FREE to the public. Individuals simply need to make an appointment to get this service done by calling 662-469-8480 in DeSoto County or your county extension office.”

Tips for the Beginner   

Tip #1:  

Learn the process. The recommendation is to take a class because you have a relationship with someone locally. There are also YouTube videos available.  

Tip #2:

Decide what vegetables, fruit, or meat you want to process by canning. Determine the jar size needed, from half-pint to a quart. Jars and lids come in the initial box. Later you can just purchase the metal lid with the sealing compound (do not reuse old lids) and extra metal screw bands. You will need a water bath canner for jam, pickles, or tomato juice—a steam-pressure canner for green beans, lima beans, or meat. Additional tools to purchase are a canning funnel, jar lifter, lid lifter, and headspace tool.

Tip #3:

Shop wisely.

“Home canning isn’t cheap, but the satisfaction of knowing you preserved your food is worth every penny. Plus, there is just “something” about canned home products. They taste better when you know you canned them,” states Angel.

Supplies are available at Walmart, Amazon, or a hardware store.

Making jam or jelly is easy. The processing requires a water bath. It doesn’t need a bunch of home canning equipment. You can turn a stockpot into a water bath canner by placing a small wire rack or silicon trivet at the bottom so that the jars do not sit directly on the heating element. Mason canning jars need to be able to submerge in at least 1 inch of briskly boiling water to cover the tops of the jars during processing. If that isn’t your jam, try one of those pre-made easy mixes from the grocery store in the home canning section to make pickles, pasta sauce, or salsa. They are simple and can build your confidence. You simply add fresh tomatoes or cucumbers to the mix.

Tip #4:

Ms. Angel suggests, “If you don’t own a pressure canner, maybe borrow a friend’s to ‘test’ and try out before making a large investment in purchasing a new canner. Be careful when buying a used canner at a garage sale or online from the marketplace.”

She said things wear out and must be replaced periodically on home canners, so shop wisely and look the canner over to ensure the gasket is flexible (not dry-rotted), has no cracks on the gauge, and has no rust. Look for the model number on the bottom of the canner, handle, or lid.

“Knowing the model number is essential if you need to order replacement parts. Replacement parts may not be available for very old canners.”

Recipes and Information

Hundreds of recipes are available from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

The MSU Extension Service has great home canning resources to help get you started as well.

Contact your county extension service for information about the Home Food Preservation Workshops:

DeSoto County
3260 Highway 51 S.; Hernando, MS 38632
Phone: (662-469-8480)

Madison County 
1883 MS-43; Canton, MS 39046
Phone: (601) 859-3842

Hinds County 
1500 Raymond Lake Road; Raymond, MS 39154
Phone: (601) 857-3242

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Read original article by clicking here.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

• Canning has long been a family tradition in the south. Since COVID, there has been a steady increase in people wanting to learn to grow their food and preserve it for later consumption.

As a middle schooler, it seemed that my parents planted the most enormous garden in Peoria County, Illinois. It felt like acres. But it wasn’t. I dreaded summer because it meant lots of work—planting, pulling weeds, and harvesting.

Potatoes and onions went into the ground first, followed by the cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts. There were rows and rows of green beans, corn, cucumbers, pumpkins, beets, carrots, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and lima beans. There was a corner for the garlic. And Mom, famous for her pies, had to have an area for her rhubarb. Sorry, no okra.

And let’s not forget the long row of concord grapes that extended the length of the garden. Did I say we had an enormous garden? Also, there were about twelve dwarf apple trees, strawberries, and red raspberries.

When the produce started coming in, Mom grated heads of cabbage into a large crock for sauerkraut. The cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts went into the freezer, and cucumbers became dill and the best sweet pickles you ever tasted. But the abundance of green beans drove me crazy. After a morning’s picking, it was not unusual to haul in five-bushel baskets.

My mom, grandma, sisters, and I gathered in our basement; each person had a basket to snap off the ends and break them into thirds. We sat in our basement all day, snapping off the ends and breaking them into thirds. The hours passed slowly. Some fifty-plus years later, I can still see my mom and grandma washing the canning jars, filling them with green beans, a little salt, and water. Then, into the pressure canner. Mom worked up into the night. It was long, arduous work. She had to learn the entire gardening process because she didn’t grow up in the country or on a farm. My paternal grandparents were her teachers, along with trial and error.

Home Food Processing in Mississippi

I brought those experiences and training with me to the Magnolia State. However, my garden was a fourth in size, and items like purple hull peas, okra, butter beans, and G90 corn replaced those rows and rows of green beans.

Investment in canning jars, freezer containers, water bath and steam pressure canners became new items in my kitchen.

Because of my boy’s involvement in 4-H, I learned about the Mississippi State University Extension Service. I was amazed at the extensive list of classes and brochures available to consumers. Furthermore, I was impressed with the availability of the Extension Agents.

This summer, the extension service has offered Home Food Preservation Workshops throughout the state. I contacted Lara Angel, Extension Agent III, DeSoto County Extension Office in Hernando. She has worked in extension offices in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi. This coming September, she will start her eighteenth year of extension work.

Ms. Angel has been busy this summer offering Home Food Preservation Workshops. The third one held yesterday at the Hernando Public Library. The program was free, but the workshop was $30 which included lunch and supplies. Interest was high – the workshop was at maximum capacity.

The Growth of Home Canning

When asked if there has been an increase in the number of people involved with home food preservation, Angel said, “Every county is different, so not everyone offers home canning workshops or classes like we do here in DeSoto. We get a high interest in home canning due to our large population, people wanting to ‘homestead.’ Therefore, I plan specific programs to meet clients’ local demands and requests.”

Angel said that since COVID, she has seen a steady increase in people wanting to learn to grow their food and preserve it for later consumption.

”I started working for MSU Extension in 2014, and over the years, there has been interest in this area, but nothing like what I see today. More and more people want to return to the basics and learn things their parents and grandparents did years ago. Home canning isn’t taught in school; even if it is, it does not interest teens today. People turn to social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other websites to learn more information. That information isn’t always correct.”

It’s important to be cautious when canning.

“If you ‘home can’ using some of these practices you read about online, you can make yourself or your family sick,” said Angel. “Home canning is a science, so using a research-based recipe and research-based information is critical. We don’t want anyone to get sick and possibly die from botulism.”

Angel says that MSU Extension offers home canner dial gauge testing.

“Each year, it’s recommended that you test your pressure canner dial gauge. We provide this service FREE to the public. Individuals simply need to make an appointment to get this service done by calling 662-469-8480 in DeSoto County or your county extension office.”

Tips for the Beginner   

Tip #1:  

Learn the process. The recommendation is to take a class because you have a relationship with someone locally. There are also YouTube videos available.  

Tip #2:

Decide what vegetables, fruit, or meat you want to process by canning. Determine the jar size needed, from half-pint to a quart. Jars and lids come in the initial box. Later you can just purchase the metal lid with the sealing compound (do not reuse old lids) and extra metal screw bands. You will need a water bath canner for jam, pickles, or tomato juice—a steam-pressure canner for green beans, lima beans, or meat. Additional tools to purchase are a canning funnel, jar lifter, lid lifter, and headspace tool.

Tip #3:

Shop wisely.

“Home canning isn’t cheap, but the satisfaction of knowing you preserved your food is worth every penny. Plus, there is just “something” about canned home products. They taste better when you know you canned them,” states Angel.

Supplies are available at Walmart, Amazon, or a hardware store.

Making jam or jelly is easy. The processing requires a water bath. It doesn’t need a bunch of home canning equipment. You can turn a stockpot into a water bath canner by placing a small wire rack or silicon trivet at the bottom so that the jars do not sit directly on the heating element. Mason canning jars need to be able to submerge in at least 1 inch of briskly boiling water to cover the tops of the jars during processing. If that isn’t your jam, try one of those pre-made easy mixes from the grocery store in the home canning section to make pickles, pasta sauce, or salsa. They are simple and can build your confidence. You simply add fresh tomatoes or cucumbers to the mix.

Tip #4:

Ms. Angel suggests, “If you don’t own a pressure canner, maybe borrow a friend’s to ‘test’ and try out before making a large investment in purchasing a new canner. Be careful when buying a used canner at a garage sale or online from the marketplace.”

She said things wear out and must be replaced periodically on home canners, so shop wisely and look the canner over to ensure the gasket is flexible (not dry-rotted), has no cracks on the gauge, and has no rust. Look for the model number on the bottom of the canner, handle, or lid.

“Knowing the model number is essential if you need to order replacement parts. Replacement parts may not be available for very old canners.”

Recipes and Information

Hundreds of recipes are available from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

The MSU Extension Service has great home canning resources to help get you started as well.

Contact your county extension service for information about the Home Food Preservation Workshops:

DeSoto County
3260 Highway 51 S.; Hernando, MS 38632
Phone: (662-469-8480)

Madison County 
1883 MS-43; Canton, MS 39046
Phone: (601) 859-3842

Hinds County 
1500 Raymond Lake Road; Raymond, MS 39154
Phone: (601) 857-3242

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Read original article by clicking here.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

• Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. – 1 Corinthians 7:20

Some people have the foolish notion that the only way in which they can live for God is by becoming pastors, missionaries, or Bible teachers. How many would be excluded from any opportunity of spiritual usefulness if this were the case. Beloved, it is not office—it is sincerity; it is not position—it is grace that will enable us to serve and glorify God. God is definitely glorified at the workbench, where the godly worker fulfills his task singing of the Savior’s love. In this humble setting God is glorified far more than in many a lofty pulpit where official religion performs its scanty duties. The name of Jesus is glorified by the taxicab driver as he blesses God and speaks to his passengers of the living hope. He will be more useful than the popular preacher who goes about peddling the Gospel for profit. God is glorified when we serve Him in our proper vocations.

Take care, dear reader, that you do not neglect the path of duty by leaving your occupation, and take care you do not dishonor your profession while in it. Think little of yourselves, but do not think too little of your callings. Every lawful trade may be sanctified by the Gospel to noblest ends. Turn to the Bible, and you will find the most menial forms of labor connected either with most daring deeds of faith or with persons whose lives have been illustrations of holiness.

Therefore do not be discontented with your calling. Whatever God has made your position or your work, remain in that, unless you are quite sure that He calls you to something else. Let your first concern be to glorify God to the best of your ability where you are. Fill your present sphere to His praise, and if He needs you in another, He will show it to you. This evening lay aside anxious ambition, and embrace peaceful content.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Read original article by clicking here.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

• Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. – 1 Corinthians 7:20

Some people have the foolish notion that the only way in which they can live for God is by becoming pastors, missionaries, or Bible teachers. How many would be excluded from any opportunity of spiritual usefulness if this were the case. Beloved, it is not office—it is sincerity; it is not position—it is grace that will enable us to serve and glorify God. God is definitely glorified at the workbench, where the godly worker fulfills his task singing of the Savior’s love. In this humble setting God is glorified far more than in many a lofty pulpit where official religion performs its scanty duties. The name of Jesus is glorified by the taxicab driver as he blesses God and speaks to his passengers of the living hope. He will be more useful than the popular preacher who goes about peddling the Gospel for profit. God is glorified when we serve Him in our proper vocations.

Take care, dear reader, that you do not neglect the path of duty by leaving your occupation, and take care you do not dishonor your profession while in it. Think little of yourselves, but do not think too little of your callings. Every lawful trade may be sanctified by the Gospel to noblest ends. Turn to the Bible, and you will find the most menial forms of labor connected either with most daring deeds of faith or with persons whose lives have been illustrations of holiness.

Therefore do not be discontented with your calling. Whatever God has made your position or your work, remain in that, unless you are quite sure that He calls you to something else. Let your first concern be to glorify God to the best of your ability where you are. Fill your present sphere to His praise, and if He needs you in another, He will show it to you. This evening lay aside anxious ambition, and embrace peaceful content.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Read original article by clicking here.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Insisting that “the defense of democracy is more important than any title,” President Joe Biden on Wednesday explained in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and to throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

The address offered the public their first chance to hear directly from Biden his rationale for dropping out of the 2024 after weeks of insisting he believed himself to be the best candidate to take on former President Donald Trump, whom he has called an existential threat to the nation’s democracy. It also gave Biden a chance to try to shape how history views his one and only term in office.

“The defense of democracy is more important than any title,” Biden said. “Nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. And that includes personal ambition.”

Said Biden, “I revere this office, but I love my country more.”

Biden’s candidacy faced a crisis of confidence from Democrats after his abysmal debate against Trump nearly a month ago, where he spoke haltingly, appeared ashen and failed to rebut his predecessor’s attacks. It sparked a mutiny within his party over not just whether he was capable of beating Trump in November, but also whether at 81, he was still fit for the high-pressure job.

Biden tried to outlast the skepticism and quell the concerns with interviews and tepid rallies, but the pressure to step aside only mounted from the party’s political elites and from ordinary voters.

On Sunday afternoon, while isolating at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home with COVID-19, Biden finally bowed in a letter posted to his account on X announcing his decision to leave the race, followed up later by an endorsement of Harris.

“I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation,” Biden said, saying he wanted to make room for “fresh voices, yes, younger voices.”

He added, “That is the best way to unite our nation.”

Biden’s address was being carried by the major broadcast and cable news networks. He pledge to remain focused

Read original article by clicking here.

Nearly five years after officials first named his company in the “largest public embezzlement case in state history,” Florida neuroscientist Jacob Vanlandingham has pleaded guilty to one federal charge of wire fraud.

Vanlandingham is the latest defendant to admit to some role in the Mississippi welfare scandal, which ensnared his former business partner, retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre. The two worked together, a civil lawsuit by the Mississippi Department of Human Services alleges, to channel funds from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to their pharmaceutical startup project called Prevacus.

But acquiring $1.9 million in federal welfare funds from the poorest state in the nation to develop a drug to treat concussions — an allegedly illegal use of the funds — was not Vanlandingham’s crime. Instead, he pleaded guilty to using some of the funds for himself, including for “gambling and paying off personal debts,” according to a federal court file.

Reached Wednesday, Vanlandingham said he didn’t want his narrow guilty plea to be misconstrued as an admission of stealing welfare money.

“The case was very complicated but it really boiled down to one count of wire fraud, not any finding of welfare fraud,” said Vanlandingham’s Florida attorney Thomas Findley.

Both Favre and Vanlandingham have denied the allegations in the ongoing civil suit and Favre has not been charged with a crime. Vanlandingham founded Prevacus in 2012 and Favre was one of its largest investors and promoters. The startup is defunct today after selling the idea of its concussion drug to another company.

In January of 2019, Prevacus entered a $1.7 million contract with Mississippi Community Education Center, a nonprofit that the state welfare agency, Mississippi Department of Human Services, had entrusted to spend millions of federal grant funds.

“The purpose of the scheme … was for Vanlandingham to unlawfully enrich himself by making materially false and fraudulent representations that he would use certain funds, including funds obtained from MDHS through MCEC, to develop a pharmaceutical treatment for concussions,” reads the charge.

Vanlandingham pleaded guilty to a bill of information, a charging document that the government uses when a defendant agrees to waive a formal indictment, and was released on a $10,000 bond on Wednesday. The charge related to a $400,000 wire transfer from Mississippi Community Education Center to Prevacus on July 16, 2019, which occurred about a month after the state auditor’s investigation began.

The single count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Vanlandingham’s sentencing, along with the sentencings of six others who have pleaded guilty, has not been scheduled as each defendant continues to cooperate with federal investigators as part of their pleas.

The federal case against Vanlandingham stems from the government’s probe, beginning in 2020, into the misspending or theft of federal public assistance funds. The federal investigation did not begin until State Auditor Shad White, who originally investigated a tip brought forward by an agency employee to then-Gov. Phil Bryant, made six arrests and then turned the case over to federal authorities in February of 2020. Auditors have estimated between $77 million and $98 million was misspent or not properly documented.

“I applaud federal prosecutors for their continued work on this case,” White said in a press release Wednesday. “I’m grateful for my team at the Auditor’s office and the FBI for digging up the facts related to this case. We will continue to assist federal prosecutors as needed going forward.”

The welfare agency director John Davis and nonprofit founder Nancy New both pleaded guilty within the scheme in 2022 but have not been sentenced. An additional four defendants who pleaded to state or federal charges between 2020 and 2023. Each defendant has agreed to aid federal authorities in their ongoing investigation. The trial for an eighth defendant, former professional wrestler Ted “Teddy” DiBiase Jr., is scheduled for January.

The bill of information against Vanlandingham was signed by Todd Gee, the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Mississippi who left the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section to fill the Jackson-based appointment.

But Vanlandingham’s bill of information was signed by two other senior officials from the U.S. Department of Justice — Glenn S. Leon, the chief of the DOJ’s Fraud Section, and Margaret A. Moeser, the chief of the DOJ’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section — signaling Washington’s role in the ongoing investigation.

Many of the crimes associated with the welfare scandal come with a five year statute of limitations.

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Read original article by clicking here.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

• The Mississippi State Department of Health approved a lease between Oceans Healthcare and St. Dominic’s that could re-open 83 psychiatric and 35 chemical dependency beds shuttered in June of 2023. Merit sued to prevent the planned re-opening.

In June of last year, St. Dominic Hospital announced it would be closing its in-patient behavioral health services in Jackson and taking 83 licensed psychiatric beds and 35 chemical dependency beds offline.

The decision left Central Mississippi with just one “single point-of-entry” mental health care hospitals — Merit Health Central Inpatient Adult Behavioral Health.

Now Merit Health is suing to prevent St. Dominic’s facility from re-opening. Named in the lawsuit are Oceans Behavioral Hospital of Jackson, LLC, St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH).

The closure of St. Dominic’s behavioral health center resulted in widespread concern over the ability to serve patient demand in the Jackson area. In the immediate aftermath, both UMMC and Merit reported being at capacity for behavioral health services and needing to divert in-patient admissions.

St. Dominic’s spokesperson Meredith Bailess indicated at the time that the hospital remained committed to helping patients access care and was actively fielding partnership inquiries to re-open the facility.

On September 15, 2023, St. Dominic’s entered into a lease agreement with Oceans Healthcare. Under the terms of the contract, Oceans would assume control of the shuttered facility, with the right to re-open the licensed 83 psychiatric beds and 35 chemical dependency beds, and provide the same services previously offered by St. Dominic’s at the location. In the immediate term, Oceans plans include re-opening 77 of the licensed beds.

Oceans Healthcare operates 36 behavioral health facilities across the U.S., including a hospital in Biloxi and another in Tupelo.

Mississippi “Certificate of Need” or “CON” law required Oceans Healthcare to obtain regulatory approval from the Department of Health prior to re-opening the hospital facility.

READ MORE: Mississippi ‘Certificate of Need’ law stifling healthcare system?

The law extends to MSDH broad lattitude to create “standards to determine when a person, facility or organization must apply for a certificate of need,” and “standards to determine when a change of ownership has occurred or will occur.”

In March of this year, MSDH determined that the lease between St. Dominic’s and Oceans Healthcare did not require the issuance of a new certificate of need, but rather, was a “change in ownership.”

This determination was based on the fact that Oceans would be offering the same services, using the same facility and licensed beds previously operated by St. Dominic’s. MSDH’s decision meant that Oceans was cleared to move forward without having to satisfy the considerable requirements associated with a CON.

According to Matthew Mitchell, a scholar at The Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation, the “process can take months and can cost tens of thousands of dollars in fees and much more in compliance cost. Existing providers are allowed to oppose the applications of their would-be competitors and the regulator may deny an application if he or she thinks that the new service will duplicate an existing one.”

Mitchell argues that what the law “calls ‘duplication’ customers would call ‘competition.’”

In a recently conducted interview with Magnolia Tribune for a separate story on CON reform proposals, State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney said that objections by competitors can lead to an 18-month to two-year delay in the approval process.

When asked how many CON applications are disputed, Dr. Edney said, “I would say virtually all of them.”

Merit Health argues in its lawsuit that because MSDH ruled that Oceans Healthcare did not need to obtain a new CON to re-open the St. Dominic’s behavioral hospital, Merit was denied its ability as a competitor to object to the planned re-opening.

Merit’s lawsuit seeks what is known as “declaratory judgment,” which in this case would mean a ruling that MSDH lacked the legal authority to treat the re-opening as a change in ownership and that Oceans Healthcare should be subjected to the full CON approval process.

Substantively, Merit’s suit contend that had Oceans Healthcare been required to obtain a new CON, its current business plan would have not serviced enough indigent patients, putting Merit at a competitive disadvantage.

Both Oceans Healthcare and MSDH have filed motions to dismiss, arguing MSDH had clear statutory authority to determine whether the re-opening of the facility constituted a change in ownership or a new facility that required a new CON.

Below is Merit Health’s complaint for declaratory judgment, along with the memorandums filed by Oceans Healthcare and MSDH seeking dismissal.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Read original article by clicking here.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

• The Mississippi State Department of Health approved a lease between Oceans Healthcare and St. Dominic’s that could re-open 83 psychiatric and 35 chemical dependency beds shuttered in June of 2023. Merit sued to prevent the planned re-opening.

In June of last year, St. Dominic Hospital announced it would be closing its in-patient behavioral health services in Jackson and taking 83 licensed psychiatric beds and 35 chemical dependency beds offline.

The decision left Central Mississippi with just one “single point-of-entry” mental health care hospitals — Merit Health Central Inpatient Adult Behavioral Health.

Now Merit Health is suing to prevent St. Dominic’s facility from re-opening. Named in the lawsuit are Oceans Behavioral Hospital of Jackson, LLC, St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH).

The closure of St. Dominic’s behavioral health center resulted in widespread concern over the ability to serve patient demand in the Jackson area. In the immediate aftermath, both UMMC and Merit reported being at capacity for behavioral health services and needing to divert in-patient admissions.

St. Dominic’s spokesperson Meredith Bailess indicated at the time that the hospital remained committed to helping patients access care and was actively fielding partnership inquiries to re-open the facility.

On September 15, 2023, St. Dominic’s entered into a lease agreement with Oceans Healthcare. Under the terms of the contract, Oceans would assume control of the shuttered facility, with the right to re-open the licensed 83 psychiatric beds and 35 chemical dependency beds, and provide the same services previously offered by St. Dominic’s at the location. In the immediate term, Oceans plans include re-opening 77 of the licensed beds.

Oceans Healthcare operates 36 behavioral health facilities across the U.S., including a hospital in Biloxi and another in Tupelo.

Mississippi “Certificate of Need” or “CON” law required Oceans Healthcare to obtain regulatory approval from the Department of Health prior to re-opening the hospital facility.

READ MORE: Mississippi ‘Certificate of Need’ law stifling healthcare system?

The law extends to MSDH broad lattitude to create “standards to determine when a person, facility or organization must apply for a certificate of need,” and “standards to determine when a change of ownership has occurred or will occur.”

In March of this year, MSDH determined that the lease between St. Dominic’s and Oceans Healthcare did not require the issuance of a new certificate of need, but rather, was a “change in ownership.”

This determination was based on the fact that Oceans would be offering the same services, using the same facility and licensed beds previously operated by St. Dominic’s. MSDH’s decision meant that Oceans was cleared to move forward without having to satisfy the considerable requirements associated with a CON.

According to Matthew Mitchell, a scholar at The Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation, the “process can take months and can cost tens of thousands of dollars in fees and much more in compliance cost. Existing providers are allowed to oppose the applications of their would-be competitors and the regulator may deny an application if he or she thinks that the new service will duplicate an existing one.”

Mitchell argues that what the law “calls ‘duplication’ customers would call ‘competition.’”

In a recently conducted interview with Magnolia Tribune for a separate story on CON reform proposals, State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney said that objections by competitors can lead to an 18-month to two-year delay in the approval process.

When asked how many CON applications are disputed, Dr. Edney said, “I would say virtually all of them.”

Merit Health argues in its lawsuit that because MSDH ruled that Oceans Healthcare did not need to obtain a new CON to re-open the St. Dominic’s behavioral hospital, Merit was denied its ability as a competitor to object to the planned re-opening.

Merit’s lawsuit seeks what is known as “declaratory judgment,” which in this case would mean a ruling that MSDH lacked the legal authority to treat the re-opening as a change in ownership and that Oceans Healthcare should be subjected to the full CON approval process.

Substantively, Merit’s suit contend that had Oceans Healthcare been required to obtain a new CON, its current business plan would have not serviced enough indigent patients, putting Merit at a competitive disadvantage.

Both Oceans Healthcare and MSDH have filed motions to dismiss, arguing MSDH had clear statutory authority to determine whether the re-opening of the facility constituted a change in ownership or a new facility that required a new CON.

Below is Merit Health’s complaint for declaratory judgment, along with the memorandums filed by Oceans Healthcare and MSDH seeking dismissal.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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HAVRE DE GRACE, Md.—As environmental groups and policy analysts in the Mississippi River basin seek solutions to shrink a massive “dead zone” that forms off the coast of Louisiana each year, they have looked to a regional clean-up program in the Chesapeake Bay as a model.

A key component of that effort, known as the Chesapeake Bay Program, is regulation.

For nearly 15 years, it’s included a legally enforceable, multi-state pollution quota—one of a select few in the nation. This “total maximum daily load” aims to reduce the amount of nutrients, like phosphorus and nitrogen, that run off into the Bay’s waters. 

Too much of chemicals that derive from these elements, commonly used to grow crops and fertilize lawns, can cause algae blooms and die-offs that rob waters of oxygen and suffocate aquatic life.

But the Bay program’s scientific advisors recently noted the strategy is imperfect. 

After two missed deadlines to reduce nutrient runoff, and a third looming, Mid-Atlantic state and federal officials are reevaluating their options.

A Unique Legal Agreement

In 1983, the Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia governors along with the mayor of Washington and administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, a pledge to reduce the pollutants and sediment entering the Bay that contribute to the loss of organisms like seagrasses, shellfish and waterfowl.

The tapering of nitrogen and phosphorus remained the focus of subsequent agreements, but the jurisdictions did not meet their goals voluntarily, so in 2010 the EPA created the country’s most expansive pollution quota. It applied to six states—Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia—and the District of Columbia.

For AG & Water story only ” data-image-caption=”

Denice Heller Wardrop, executive director of the Chesapeake Research Consortium, stands for a portrait on April 4, 2024, at the Havre De Grace Maritime Museum in Havre De Grace, Maryland. Photo by Bennet Goldstein, Wisconsin Watch

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