Tag: Regional One

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Opinion The Last Word

Investing in Memphis Wisely 

201 Poplar (Photo:Thomas R Machnitzki | Wikimedia Commons)

Our city and county face a difficult yet pivotal decision: how to allocate our limited resources in a manner that not only meets urgent needs but also sets the stage for long-term prosperity and safety. With mounting pressure to build both a new jail and a new hospital, it is imperative that we evaluate every option to maximize public benefit without burdening taxpayers or risking unnecessary expenditures.

At the heart of the hospital debate is the existence of a private, not-for-profit facility — Methodist University Hospital — which currently operates under capacity. Meanwhile, plans for the new community trauma center, Regional One Health Medical Center, call for development on the site of the former Commercial Appeal building. This site is also a potential toxic waste dump that would require extensive and expensive environmental remediation. With these realities in mind, one must ask: Is constructing an entirely new hospital the wisest use of public funds, or is there a more strategic, fiscally responsible alternative available?

Memphis City Council member Jeffrey Warren (Photo: memphistn.gov)

A promising and forward-thinking solution is to merge the proposed Regional One Medical Center with Methodist University Hospital to create a single, robust University Medical Center. This unified entity would leverage the significant strengths of each institution. The UT Health Science Center — our largest state medical school — already plays a vital role in the operation of both hospitals. By consolidating these institutions, we can enhance medical training, streamline services, and ultimately ensure that residents receive the highest standard of care. A unified system would facilitate better coordination of specialized services, reduce redundant administrative overhead, and eliminate unnecessary duplication of costly infrastructure.

Adding to the strength of this proposal is the fact that I have received an overwhelming number of supportive comments from multiple medical administrators and physicians. These experts, with firsthand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities in our healthcare system, have commended the wisdom of merging our resources. Their endorsements underline a shared vision for a more efficient, responsive, and innovative healthcare delivery model that can better serve our community’s needs.

Moreover, this strategic merger would free up funds by avoiding the exorbitant costs associated with building a new hospital on a contaminated site. The savings could then be redirected to another critical area: modernizing our county jail at 201 Poplar Avenue. The current jail facility is not only outdated but also fails to meet the operational requirements of both law enforcement agencies and the broader justice system. A modern, secure, and efficient jail would not only bolster public safety but also facilitate improved rehabilitation and support programs, benefiting both inmates and the community as a whole.

Relocating the jail would also bring significant economic and developmental advantages to Downtown Memphis. The existing facility, along with its aging adjacent structures, has long stifled the potential of our central business district. By moving the jail to a more suitable location, we would unlock new avenues for economic growth and revitalization. This move could attract fresh investments, stimulate local businesses, and create a more vibrant and welcoming urban environment for residents and visitors alike.

Before any irreversible decisions or costly demolitions — such as tearing down the old newspaper office — are made, it is crucial that a thorough investigation is conducted. To that end, I urge the County Commission, the hospitals involved, and the university administration to form a dedicated committee. This committee would be tasked with a comprehensive review of the merger proposal, weighing the benefits against potential risks, and ensuring that every aspect is carefully considered. Such a measured approach would prevent hasty expenditures and safeguard our community’s financial health while ensuring that we are investing in solutions that offer the greatest long-term returns.

In addition, this proposed committee would serve as a platform for ongoing dialogue between policymakers, medical experts, and community stakeholders. By fostering collaboration and transparent discussion, we can refine our strategy to ensure that the unified medical center not only meets current healthcare demands but is also well-positioned to adapt to future challenges. It is essential that every step of this process be guided by evidence-based insights and a clear understanding of the fiscal and societal impacts involved.

Ultimately, the merger of Methodist University Hospital with the proposed Regional One Medical Center is not merely a consolidation of facilities; it is an investment in a visionary approach to healthcare and public safety. It represents a commitment to fiscal prudence, operational efficiency, and the well-being of our community. By thoughtfully balancing the immediate need for improved medical and correctional facilities with long-term strategic planning, we can create a model of integrated public service that benefits everyone.

Now is the time to think strategically, collaborate extensively, and invest wisely in a future that strengthens our healthcare system, revitalizes our Downtown, and secures a safer environment for all citizens — without imposing new tax burdens. Let us move forward with a plan that reflects both our immediate needs and our commitment to sustainable growth. 

Jeffery Warren is a member of the Memphis City Council, representing Super District 9 Position 3.

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Council Wants Regional One’s Help In Violence Intervention Program

Credit: Regional One Health/Facebook

An intervention program aimed at curbing violence in Memphis by speaking to shooting victims and their families encountered resistance from one of Memphis’ largest hospitals, prompting city officials to intervene. 

On Tuesday, Memphis City Council members voted to pass a resolution requesting the Shelby County government help facilitate an agreement between Regional One Health Hospital and the city-funded Group Violence Intervention Program (GVIP). Memphis launched the program in 2020 with $2.4 million in funding. 

Members of the GVIP team visit trauma units at hospitals to provide intervention to juveniles and their families who have been affected by gun violence. The program has partnered with the Methodist Le Bonheur trauma department, but efforts to connect with Regional One have been denied, citing HIPAA concerns.  

“I’m sorry but whoever is in charge of Regional One needs to wake up and let our people in,” said City Council member Dr. Jeff Warren, who helped launch the program.

GVIP is an alternative to policing by collaborating with the Memphis Police Department and examining weekly shootings to identify the shooters as well as their victims who may retaliate and promote further violence.  

“Today’s victims could be tomorrow’s suspect,” said Jimmie Johnson, GVIP spokesperson. “If my friend got shot yesterday, he might go and retaliate against the person who shot him, or my friend’s group could go retaliate.”

An intervention team of 50 trained members — including police liaisons — who know the dynamics of gangs and cliques are tasked with connecting with individuals and mediating “beefs” to discourage retaliation and encouraging positive community response. GVIP liaisons also offer services to at-risk individuals, such as paths to employment, in the hopes of reducing recidivism. 

“Right now, in our time and society, police officers get such a negative viewpoint from citizens, but now these individuals being contacted by law enforcement see them in a different light. They see them as a hand of redemption. ‘We’re trying to help you before we get to the point of having to arrest you and prosecute you,’” said Johnson.

The program has seen mild initial success. Due to COVID delays, the program began operating only in recent months despite receiving funding before the pandemic. As of September, 126 individuals were identified, 122 contacted, 29 accepted communications and 12 have been referred to services. Most of the identified individuals were between the ages of 16 to 25.  

In November, GVIP will begin call-ins to offer paths to employment and other services to those on active probation. Parolees will also be informed about the risk of death and prosecution should they or their associates continue to engage in violence.

“The violence must stop. The community is tired of it. We’re tired of it, but instead of just locking you away, we’re going to give you an alternative to change your behavior instead of incarcerating them,” said Johnson.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and Twitter.

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Editorial Opinion

Keeping Hospitals Alive

The pending shut-down of Crittenden Regional Hospital in West Memphis, which followed several months of highly publicized financial crisis, should sound the alert for medical authorities in Memphis — especially at Regional One Health (formerly known as The Med), which will inherit much of the now stranded patient load at the expired hospital.

The loss of Crittenden Regional and the resultant further shift of the medical burden to Regional One highlights once again still unresolved questions of the degree to which both Arkansas and Mississippi should compensate the Memphis facility for taking care of underprivileged patients from those states who seek medical assistance on our side of the state line.

And the closing of the facility in Tennesssee’s neighboring state should stand as both a warning and a reproach to Governor Bill Haslam and the Tennessee General Assembly — the latter for its callous indifference to the needs of our state’s stressed and financially challenged hospitals, as evidenced in the Republican-dominated legislature’s persistent refusal to consider Medicaid expansion funds available through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and the former for letting himself be cowed into acquiescing in that refusal.

As Tennessee law now stands, the General Assembly having passed legislation in last year’s session giving itself de facto veto power over any future decisions Haslam might make on the issue, the governor’s hands are more or less tied. But he had ample opportunity before that point, when hospital administrators all over the state were begging him for financial relief, to avail himself of Medicaid expansion funds. He should have accepted the funds, even at the potential cost of inviting threats to his reelection. No profile in courage there, Gov.

It is true, of course, that Crittenden, like other public hospitals in Arkansas, had the benefit of Medicaid expansion funds, thanks to the fact that the state’s governor, Mike Beebe, is a Democrat, like the president, and therefore is not bound to an ideology of refusal that too many Republicans, for purely political reasons, are bound to. That fact alone kept the hospital alive for a season or two. But a pair of serious fires at the facility, one as recently as this year, pushed the hospital over the fiscal cliff.

There are numerous hospitals in Tennessee that are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, and, failing the kind of unforeseen accident that happened in Crittenden, could easily survive with a fair share of the $2 billion that our state officials have opted to deny them.

Back to Arkansas: Another Democrat, U.S. Senator Mark Pryor, is running for reelection with a campaign that features public speeches on behalf of Obamacare/Medicaid expansion (both of which, however, he, rather too cautiously, calls by euphemistic names), pointing out that he himself was able to survive a bout with cancer in the 1990s, despite the fact that his insurance company back then declined to pay for the expensive treatment he required, which he then had to pay for out of pocket.

Obamacare, Pryor notes, prevents insurors from doing that to others. It can help keep hospitals alive, too.