Mississippi

One barrier to access to oral health care is distance. Here in eastern, rural Mississippi geographic distance presents a significant problem to local people seeking oral and other primary health care. The area is agricultural and people are widely dispersed.

The Greater Meridian Health Clinic, Inc. (GMHC ) was established in 1986 to provide care to the medically underserved population in a five-county area-Lauderdale, Kemper, Noxubee, Winston, and Oktibbeha with a potential patient base of more than 200,000 people. Many of the people in this region are uninsured, underinsured, and Medicare/Medicaid eligible. The clinic has six sites and a mobile medical unit-MAC-”Mobile Access to Care.” With a goal to prepare people for a “lifetime of heath,” GMHC has formed partnerships with state and local health departments; referral agencies for medical specialists; mental health services, and the homeless; schools; and Head Start programs. The clinic has affiliations with Mississippi State University for Women, Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi Medical Center, University of Alabama School of Nursing, and several regional community colleges.

There is a special opportunity for dental residents to experience Southern culture while honing clinical skills at GMHC . The current dentists on staff studied in different parts of the country-Mississippi, Washington, DC, and Tennessee-thereby giving residents different perspectives on techniques, materials, and philosophies. The dental patient population is diverse in age, race, and economic status. Patients receive a broad range of general dentistry including restorative, oral surgery, endodontic, and prosthodontic care excluding orthodontics and implants. The facilities at GMHC have seven operatories and the staff includes two dentists, a dental hygienist, and three dental assistants. The Kemper satellite clinic staffs a dentist and dental assistant. There is plenty of room to welcome residents and because two of the dentists are general practice residency graduates, they create a teaching and learning environment that is based on experience, and is both supportive and compassionate. Their aim is to prepare residents for their future professional lives and possibly influence them to pursue a career in public health.

The Mississippi -“Father of Waters”

Explored by the Spaniard Hernando de Soto in 1540, and settled by the French Pierre Le Moyne more than a hundred years later, Mississippi hosts three of the most productive river valleys in North America and the world-the Mississippi, the Peal, and the Tombigbee. At the time of European exploration and settlement, its rich forests and fertile valleys covered the countryside and three nations inhabited the area, the Choctaw in the center, the Chickasaw in the north, and the Natchez in the southwest. The French drove off the Natchez before the Revolutionary War. Mississippi acquired its present borders and became a state in 1817. In the 1830s, remaining tribal leaders without the consent of their people ceded their land in treaties; the Choctaw and Chicksaw were forcibly removed to land west of the Mississippi.

Until the Civil War, the production of cotton boomed in Mississippi and the culture of slavery became entrenched. After the state’s early secession, West Point trained Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis became president of the Confederacy. The outcomes of the war were tragic for the state-failed Reconstruction and endemic segregation. In 1962, James Meredith enrolled in law school at the University of Mississippi and broke the color barrier. Today, the legacy of slaves, tenant farmers, and artisans contribute to the complex history of this beautiful state.

East of Jackson, southeast of the Choctaw Indian Reservation, and just west of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Meridian lies near the Chickasawbay River. Known as The Queen City, Meridian began its history in 1831 after the departure of the Chocktaw when it was settled by a Virginian. By the start of the Civil War about fifteen families lived in the area. It grew with the railroads and became a Confederate military center. After a five-day battle, Union General William Tecumsah Sherman confidently declared, ”...I have no hesitation in pronouncing…Meridian…no longer exists.” Meridian recovered quickly and managed to prosper after the war, and by the turn of the 20th century it was a manufacturing hub and the largest city in the state.

This quaint city of 40,000 people has proudly preserved its downtown architecture and has nine recognized historic districts and neighborhoods. The downtown is being reborn as new businesses join those more than a hundred years old. Tourism is growing; the city is about 2-1/2 hours from New Orleans, two hours from Birmingham, AL, and four hours from Atlanta, GA. The new Riley Center, located in the heart of the city, will host famous gospel, R & B, and country stars along with live theater. The “Singing Brakeman” and country music legend, Jimmy Rogers, called Meridian home. The city nurtures high school sports, art and music, activities in its parks, and its history.

Photograph provided by Lauderdale County Tourism Commission.