State Health Officer Daniel Edney asks Mississippi lawmakers to pay attention to health issues
During a Wednesday meeting of the Senate’s public health and welfare committee, State Health Officer Daniel Edney gave updates and suggestions on emergency management services, prenatal care and healthcare availability throughout the state.
Edney told legislators that while the state has made great strides in improving its national ranking in obesity and diabetes rates, sitting at 45th and 48th in the nation, respectively, he hopes the Mississippi State Department of Health will focus on improving its EMS system by working with county governments to possibly regionalize new jobs.
“I plan to bring some good news to you, and then of course the challenges that continue to face us,” Edney said. “…The workforce is small, and it's shrinking. So I'm working with the EMS Advisory Council, it’s all hands on deck on what we have to do for workforce development for EMS, even with funding opportunities.”
According to a recent National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians report, most agencies nationwide reported increasing turnover rates on average from 8% in 2019 to 11% in 2022.
“I'm just asking for attention to be paid to EMS,” he said. “As EMS things come before you, really look at it.”
During the presentation, Edney focused on prenatal care availability and education for expecting mothers.
“We're looking at everything we can do as an agency to try to help (mothers) understand that engaging in prenatal care early means you're more likely to survive your pregnancy,” he said. “We want to help you not die. We want your baby to live to reach 1 year of age.”
Edney said that could be achieved through expanding Medicaid to expecting mothers in Mississippi, which he believes will encourage others to seek medical care and knowledge, especially in areas where many people cannot afford it.
“I want babies in the Delta to have the same chance (to live) as the babies (my family) is going to have,” Edney said.
Edney addressed MSDH’s work to make health services more available through public transportation, which could take patients to nearby MSDH offices for treatment and then to pharmacies and back home.
MSDH began offering those services in late 2023, and has so far provided 133 rides in just two months, Edney said.
Edney said MSDH is working with care providers to increase telehealth visits, online doctor visits that eliminate the need for driving to a hospital or clinic.
“We're also extending our reach with telehealth, and the game plan for the next several years is to increase our provider numbers and just really be able to serve more patients than we ever had,” he said.
After the presentation, Committee Chair Sen. Hob Bryan, D, representing Itawamba, Lee and Monroe counties, told the Clarion Ledger the committee plans to take the information presented by Edney into consideration as it considers bills focusing on the public health sector this session and beyond.
“The purpose of having him and the purpose of the other hearings is to find out what we need to be doing,” Bryan said.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Health Officer asks MS lawmakers to pay attention to EMS
