Baptist and Oktibbeha County finalize OCH Regional Medical Center sale and start planning for the future
STARKVILLE, Miss., Oct. 6, 2025– Baptist Memorial Health Care, one of the largest health care systems in the South, and the Oktibbeha County board of supervisors held a news conference on Monday to celebrate the sale of OCH Regional Medical Center and the future of the hospital.
Jason Little, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care; Mac Flynt, administrator and CEO of OCH Regional Medical Center, which has been renamed Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County; Marvell Howard, president of Mississippi State University; and Robby Gathings, chair-elect of the Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporate board of directors spoke at the news conference, where Baptist unveiled the hospital’s new name.
I am excited to have finalized the OCH Regional Medical Center purchase and look forward to formally welcoming the staff to the Baptist family of hospitals. Baptist specializes in providing high-quality, sustainable community health care, which is what OCH Regional Medical Center offers. It is a great hospital, but I believe OCH Regional Medical Center has the potential to be an exceptional hospital. Through our partnership with the OCH County board of supervisors and the Starkville community, we will work together to lead OCH into the future.
This is a great day for our community. On behalf of the board, I want to give a warm, official welcome to Baptist Memorial. We chose them because we believe in their commitment to community healthcare, and we're excited to see that commitment put into action. This partnership secures our hospital's future and opens the door for better care right here at home.
Baptist and Oktibbeha County agreed to a $55 million purchase price plus $96.8 million in capital investments to upgrade the hospital’s infrastructure and technology, as well as for other improvements. The first changes Baptist will make include leveraging Baptist’s resources to advance the hospital’s clinical team and nursing staff; implementing Baptist’s processes, care model and infrastructure; expanding services and recruiting physicians; and installing Epic electronic health record system, the most widely used and comprehensive EHR in the country.
"This is a great day for our community,” said Marvell Howard, OCH County board of supervisors president. “On behalf of the board, I want to give a warm, official welcome to Baptist Memorial. We chose them because we believe in their commitment to community healthcare, and we're excited to see that commitment put into action. This partnership secures our hospital's future and opens the door for better care right here at home."
Oktibbeha County initiated the proposal process for the sale of the hospital in January 2025, and Baptist was invited to be a premier partner for the sale of the hospital on May 5, 2025. Oktibbeha County and Baptist signed a definitive asset purchase agreement for the sale of the hospital on Aug. 18, 2025, and finalized the purchase on Oct. 1.
Oktibbeha County, located in east-central Mississippi, is home to Starkville and Mississippi State University. The county is committed to fostering the health, prosperity and well-being of its residents through effective governance and community-focused initiatives.
Baptist Memorial Health Care is one of the country’s largest not-for-profit health care systems and the largest provider of Medicaid in the region. Consistently ranking among the top integrated health care networks in the country, Baptist Memorial comprises 24 affiliate hospitals in West Tennessee, North and Central Mississippi and East Arkansas; a freestanding emergency department; more than 6,000 affiliated physicians; Baptist Medical Group, a multispecialty physician group with more than 1,500 providers in 50 specialties; Baptist Cancer Center; home, hospice and psychiatric care; walk-in and urgent care clinics; a network of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system that includes Baptist Health Sciences University and a college of osteopathic medicine. Baptist employs more than 22,000 people, and in fiscal year 2024 contributed more than $388 million in community benefit and uncompensated care to the communities it serves. For more information, please visit www.baptistonline.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.com.
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