Mississippi Edition

State officials continue to encourage residents to get shots as Mississippi attempts to climb from the bottom rungs of the national vaccination tables.

Then, a coalition of health leaders file an initiative to put Medicaid expansion on the ballot.

Plus, after a Southern Remedy Health Minute, we recap the 2021 legislative session.

Segment 1:

Over four months into vaccine availability, more than 1.3 million Mississippians have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine according to Governor Tate Reeves. But, the Magnolia State still sits toward the bottom of the national tables when it comes to partially and fully vaccinated rates, and Reeves says he is concerned about vaccine hesitancy. Yesterday, flanked by a number of doctors including State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Reeves addressed the concerns for hesitancy and says some residents are slowly realizing the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.

Segment 2:

After years of political punting by state leaders and legislators, a coalition of medical professionals are leading the charge to expand Medicaid in Mississippi. First reported by Mississippi Today, a group - including the President of the Hospital Association - filed an an application with the Secretary of State's office to make the question of expansion a ballot initiative. Healthcare for Mississippi is the non-profit behind the new Initiative 76 effort. Dr. John Gaudet is part of the effort. He shares more with our Michael Guidry.

Segment 3:

Southern Remedy Health Minute

Segment 4:

Mississippi Lawmakers closed out the 2021 legislative session one week ago today- allocating the state’s $6 billion budget across a range of state agencies and programs. MPB’s Senior Reporter Desare Frazier covers the state legislator and is here to give us a recap.