The Mississippi State Department of Health is issuing a statewide order making participation in Mississippi COVID System of Care Plan mandatory for all licensed hospitals effective at noon Jan. 11. The order will continue until Jan. 23, unless revoked prior to that time.

The Mississippi COVID-19 System of Care Plan when fully implemented throughout Mississippi will result in a more efficient use of all Mississippi hospitals’ inpatient hospital beds and other resources for COVID-19 patients who require admission during COVID-19 crisis to achieve the best possible outcomes in terms of patient care for COVID-19 patients.

Due to the current wave of COVID-19 and limited ICU availability, and the inability of ill patients in rural areas to access care, MSDH is activating this Limited System of Care Plan. All Mississippi hospitals must participate in the plan to allow the most critically ill patients to be transferred for care while not overburdening any hospital.

This approach is more focused than the prior order because it only includes situations such as heart attacks, strokes, immediate neurosurgical intervention (such as a severe car accident), transplant patients with complications and ventilated patients at a hospital without an ICU, respiratory therapy or a ventilator.

Mississippi MED-COM will direct patients to available beds, and when no beds are available, to hospital destinations on a rotating basis based on geography and resource availability.