Rankin County and Baptist Memorial Health Care sign amendment to lease agreement for Rankin County hospital
Brandon, Miss., June 2, 2026– Rankin County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on Tuesday to assign the lease for Merit Health Rankin hospital and its operations to Baptist Memorial Health Care, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.
Under the new agreement, Baptist Memorial will assume operations of the 134-bed hospital located at 350 Crossgates Blvd. in the second half of this year.
This is an exciting day for the future of health care in Rankin County. By Baptist Memorial, a known provider for health care excellence in the region, signing the agreement to assume the lease of our community hospital, it is a win-win for our community. This marks a major first step to ensuring continuous access to quality health care for citizens of Rankin County and our region. We are planning for the future of our community with a health care partner who believes in community-focused care and is committed to investing in our people, facilities and services, which supports our work of ensuring better health and greater wealth for Rankin County.
Baptist Memorial has agreed to invest $70 million to enhance the hospital and its services, as well as committed to offering employment to all active 175-plus Merit Health Rankin employees in good standing.
Our team at Baptist Memorial Health Care couldn’t be happier to have the trust and support of the Rankin County Board of Supervisors to care for the health of this community. It is a responsibility we take very seriously, and it is why we are very thoughtful about entering new communities as health care partners. We believe we can deliver exceptional community-based health care that will connect this community to our network. With our resources and best assets, which I believe are our people, we can fulfill our 114-year mission of providing quality health care that aligns with the three-fold ministry of Christ while ensuring continued access to sustainable, affordable health care for this community.
Baptist Memorial is the largest health care network in Mississippi, with 14 hospitals in Mississippi, including Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, recognized as the Best Regional Hospital in the state by U.S. News & World Report. Since 2016, Baptist Memorial has added nine hospitals in Mississippi through merger, acquisition or organic growth.
Community Health Systems has been proud to provide quality health services for the residents of Rankin County, and we are especially grateful to the physicians and employees who are a part of Merit Health Rankin for the excellent care they provide for their patients. We look forward to facilitating a smooth transition of operations of this hospital to Baptist Memorial and to continuing to serve Central Mississippi through our other Merit Health hospitals and services in the area.
Baptist Memorial, Community Health Systems and Rankin County have agreed to transfer the lease later this year after transition activities have been completed and all regulatory approvals provided.
Rankin County is one of the largest and most populated counties in the state of Mississippi and ranks as the second fastest growing county in the state. Rankin County has the lowest unemployment rate in the state; top-rated schools; safe, family-oriented neighborhoods; and many recreational opportunities.
Merit Health Rankin is a 134-bed community-oriented hospital located at 350 Crossgates Blvd. in Brandon, Mississippi, and currently operated by Brandon HMA, LLC, an affiliate of Community Health Systems. The hospital is easily accessible from both Interstate 20 and Highway 80, and offers a broad range of diagnostic, emergency, inpatient and geriatric behavioral health services, including an 18-bed senior care program (geriatric psychiatry).
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 25 affiliate hospitals in West Tennessee, North and Central Mississippi and East Arkansas; a freestanding emergency department; more than 7,000 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 24,000 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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