Sep
21
In Memphis, a Plea for Regionalism
By
Regionalism requires strong dynamic political leadership!
The mayor of Shelby County, Tennessee, is one of the relatively few local officials in America who regularly conducts business across state lines. As mayor of the county that includes Memphis and sits just outside Arkansas and Mississippi, A C Wharton Jr. oversees the Memphis Regional Medical Center, which boasts the only Level 1 trauma center to be found for 150 miles in any direction. Arkansas and Mississippi together send more than $20 million worth of business annually to The Med, as the hospital is known locally. The problem is that these states send almost no money to help pay the costs of treating their citizens.