Mississippi Water Crisis Begins to Impact Healthcare Facilities

Torrential rain has created a water crisis in Mississippi. ,The city of Jackson does not have enough water to fight fires, flush toilets or hand out water to residents in need, according to CNN.  

The water crisis comes shortly after the city was put under a boil water notice in late July for a water-quality issue. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has officially issued a state of emergency regarding the ongoing running water crisis and has activated the state’s National Guard to support state assistance to Jackson.  

“The state is marshaling tremendous resources to protect the people of our capital city,” Reeves says. “It will take time for that to come to fruition. But we are here in times of crisis for anyone in the state who needs it.” 

Last week, 31 residents were evacuated by school buses from the Peach Tree Village assisted living facility due to flooding caused by the rainstorms. As previously reported by Healthcare Facilities Today, 3 feet of water passed through the facility at one point. 

In a statement, the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) informed patients, families and staff that the facility is connected to a well-water system and is not impacted by the Jackson’s ongoing shortage.  

But the health system is unable to respond to a fire as its fire suppression systems are fed through the city water system. A fire watch has been put into place for UMMC Jackson-based facilities. Meanwhile, the Jackson Medical Mall air conditioning had not been functioning properly due to the water pressure feeding its chillers being too low. A water tanker was scheduled to arrive on Aug. 30 to better feed that system.  

Impacted facilities include: 

• Jackson Medical Mall 
• Select Specialty Hospital 
• Batson Kids’ Clinic 
• The Center for Advancement of Youth 
• Buildings LB and LA. 

“UMMC will continue to evaluate the impact the City of Jackson water crisis is having on its facilities,” the statement says. “The Medical Center will take a day-by-day approach to operations located at the facilities listed above. Until further notice, patients should call to confirm appointments at any of those locations.”