Mississippi’s only burn center to close Oct. 14. Patients to be redirected out of state

Mississippi’s sole burn center at Merit Health Central in Jackson will close on Oct. 14.

According to a report by the Clarion Ledger, the hospital stated the closure was due to staffing and recruitment difficulties related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and the challenging staffing and recruitment environment have made it increasingly difficult for us to recruit the breadth of specialists needed to maintain the burn program, which is the primary reason why we’ve made the difficult decision to close the Burn Center effective October 14, 2022.,” the hospital said in a statement.

Burn patients will be redirected to one of the following out-of-state locations after Oct. 14.

• Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Georgia
• Firefighters Burn Center – Regional One Health in Memphis, Tennessee
• USA Health in Mobile, Alabama