A ballot initiative process in flux
Initiative 76 is under the same outdated ballot initiative process now hanging by a thread. Unfortunately, the Court’s decision means that Mississippians no longer enjoy the most basic freedom afforded in a democracy – the right to directly control their own destiny, Dr. John Gaudet, a Hattiesburg pediatrician and Initiative 76 sponsor, said Monday about the high court s decision.
Mississippi health care and racial justice advocates continued push for Medicaid expansion coincides with a yearlong pandemic that has boosted the ranks of the unemployed and shrunk family incomes, all of which have had a disproportionate affect on minorities and working poor.
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Mississippi will remain in the minority of states without a medical marijuana program after the state Supreme Court on Friday overturned an initiative that voters approved last fall a decision that also limits other citizen-led efforts to put issues on the statewide ballot.
At the heart of the ruling is the fact that initiatives need signatures from five congressional districts to get on the ballot, but because of Mississippi’s stagnant population, the state only has four districts.
Six justices ruled that the medical marijuana initiative is void because the state s initiative process is outdated. Three justices dissented.
Not a political issue, a human issue : Miss. health advocates want Medicaid expansion on the ballot Sarah Haselhorst, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
After a decade of the state Legislature averting Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act, in a state notorious for poor health care, Mississippi advocates say it s time for voters to decide.
They want Medicaid expansion, estimated to cover over 200,000 Mississippians, on the 2022 ballot.
A coalition of Mississippi medical experts, patients, small business owners and nonprofits initiated a statewide campaign Yes On 76 Tuesday morning at the Mississippi Hospital Association s offices in Madison.
The campaign kickstarted with a petition in support of ballot Initiative 76 that will need to amass over 106,000 signatures by October to make their 2022 goal. Over 21,000 will need to come from each of the five congressional districts as they existed in 2000.
Photo Credit: Vickie King for Mississippi Today; mississippitoday.org
While many churches across the U.S. have been waiting to open their doors to their entire congregation for worship during the pandemic, they are taking on a new role: vaccination clinics.
In Jackson, Mississippi, St. Dominic Hospital is working with local churches to make sure more people have access to COVID-19 vaccines and also the education they need to know it’s safe and effective.
Greater Bethlehem Temple Church in Jackson was the first local church to host a vaccination event. More than 200 doses of the vaccine were delivered to the site, and every appointment was filled.
Healthcare workers reflect on the first year and look ahead to year two of fighting COVID-19 Healthcare workers at St. Dominic and Lawrence County Hospital discuss year two of fighting COVID-19 (Source: WLBT) By Courtney Ann Jackson | March 31, 2021 at 9:52 PM CDT - Updated March 31 at 10:21 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Frontline healthcare workers are hailed as some of the heroes as the fight against COVID-19 continues. And as some sense of normalcy is returning, they’re still pushing forward with that fight.
To some degree, their mindset has shifted going into year two.
Things have changed in the last year as it relates to COVID. Dr. Teri Dyess at St. Dominic Hospital says in some ways, it’s for the better.