TUPELO, Miss. (WJTV) – North Mississippi Health Services (NMHS) announced layoffs, a reduction in hours and reassignments for employees amidst financial struggles.

President and CEO Shane Spees shared in a statement that NMHS have experience $17.6 million in financial losses just this year.

As costs continue to rise for Mississippi’s hospitals, one North Mississippi state lawmaker is calling for changes as another Mississippi hospital struggles.

“We need to have some hearings and look at a holistic approach of what we can do to bring better, affordable health care to Mississippians and have better outcomes. We need to look at what it would mean to modernize Medicaid. We need to look at the insurance companies and be sure that insurance companies are paying the health care providers in a timely manner. We need to look at the hospital or the primary access points of health care as well, and there needs to be some type of menu,” said State Senator Chad McMahan (R-District 6).

NMHS did not include what kind nor how many employees will be impacted.