Health center relocation aims to provide more healthcare access in Macon

Mississippi continues to struggle to bring accessible healthcare to rural communities.

MACON, Miss. (WCBI) – Mississippi continues to struggle to bring accessible healthcare to rural communities. In Macon, city and county officials came together to celebrate the opening of the Shuqualak-Noxubee Health Center.

The relocation of the Great Meridian Health Clinic is providing more access to health care in the rural area.

“We felt that it was necessary to at least have some ability for our patients, and our population access healthcare in this area,” Wilber Jones, CEO of Great Meridian Health Clinic. “We’re simply joining the healthcare network in this area and we hope to be able to expand and grow.”

Jones said more medical professionals continue to flock to other areas, leaving vacancies and a large older population to care for.

“We’re leaving more of a senior population in these areas. Transportation is the biggest problem we have because a lot of the elderly population and their generation of children are simply moving away and they are not there to take care of our elderly population,” Jones said.

Teresa Smith is a Nurse practitioner at the Shuqualak-Noxubee Health Center.

She hoped the clinic would help with educating the community on medical needs.

“The lack of health education. The lack of health illiteracy is lacking here in this county. So, I’m here hoping to help educate my people,” Smith said.

District 5 Supervisor Bruce Bernard Brooks said this is just another way they are continuing to grow their small community.

“With the industry perspective that’s coming to Noxubee County, this makes those industries really attractive to our area because that means that we have a concern for our citizens and their health. You can’t work if you are not healthy,” Brooks said.

The clinic is also looking to extend its practice into providing dental care.

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