SRHS Appoints New Member to Board of Trustees

The Singing River Health System (S.R.H.S.) saga continued Monday, but this time with some good news for the retirees. The supervisors appointed a new member to the Singing River Board of Trustees, one who the retirees feel has their best interests at heart.

It’s said that patience is a virtue, but for the retirees of S.R.H.S., their time and patience is running out. Phyllis Denmark, a S.R.H.S. retiree, says, "Our Board of Supervisors, even though they continue to tell us they are working hard to help the retirees and the current employees, when they are asked the tough questions, they cannot give a truthful and honest answer to those questions."

Frustrations are building as the retirees prepare to cash what could be their last check. The hospital agreed to continue paying the pension plan for 90 days, and with that deadline weeks away, the supervisors maintain they are doing everything they can to help. Troy Ross, Jackson County Supervisor for District 4, says, "If we need to extend that past March 15th, I’m completely on board with extending it. I don’t want this plan to be ended until we have the opportunity and ability to fix this so that the hospital is in financial shape and the retirees get what they were promised.”

There was a lot to discuss on Monday’s agenda, but almost everyone in the audience was patiently awaiting the last item on the list: the appointment of a new member of the S.R.H.S. Board of Trustees to replace Morris Strickland, who resigned in January. John McKay, Jackson County Supervisor for District 5, says, "The person I’ve chose is the right person to lead us through this crisis. Scott Taylor is a man of total integrity."

Taylor says, "I’m ready. I’m going to spend the next few days or weeks doing what I can to get up to speed and get myself in position to make some sort of positive contribution."

The retirees were excited to have an ally in their corner, but couldn’t hide their frustrations at the supervisors any longer and walked out of the meeting. Denmark closes, "I need the Board of Supervisors to put the needs of the retirees, the employees ahead of anything else they’re working on right now. It needs to be their biggest concern every day."

The retirees will be having another protest Tuesday outside of Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula from 2 to 5 p.m.