Reports - Mississippi Renewal

128 |HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESHEALTHAND HUMANSERVICESThe economic impact ofHurricane Katrina onthe health care and humanservices industriesis staggering. Accordingto Commission research, hospitals sustainedan estimated $453 million inphysical damage and operational losses. 1The Mississippi Department of MentalHealth reports its facilities sufferedmore than $23 million in damage tophysical facilities.The impact on the industry’s abilityto recruit and retain health and humanservices workers is equally dramatic.Almost every provider interviewed byCommission members reported someloss of personnel, including physicians,nurses, and other healthcare workers. Inalmost every case, their principal concernswere the continuing out-migrationof workers because of the housingshortage, spousal employment, orworries about the region’s economicfuture.Workforce retention issues are exacerbatedby the national shortage ofphysicians, nurses, pharmacists, andother healthcare professionals. Clearly,recruiting to fill positions in such acompetitive environment will becomea more significant long-term challenge,and unless the challenge is addressedimmediately, personnel losses could reducethe quality of care.As the state moves from recoveryto renewal, health and human servicesand its skilled professionals will becomemore vital to a healthy and prosperousMississippi. The tens of thousands ofconstruction workers rebuilding homesand businesses will increase the demandfor health care. As South Mississippiansmove through their personal stages ofrecovery, there will be unprecedenteddemand for mental health services.