Layoffs Expected at Health Department

Layoffs are expected at the Mississippi State Department of Health in the coming weeks due to a tight budget during the year that starts July 1st.
The director of the department, Dr. Mary Currier, is not yet sure how many employees will have to be let go, as department officials are still trying to figure out the full effects of a bill that restructures state budgets.
Legislators say the change is designed to simplify the budget process by eliminating the transfer of money from one agency to another, but Currier says it is causing confusion about how the health department will handle specific services.