From: hounddog23x@gmail.com   
      
   Local, state, federal officials launch Singing River Hospital probe    
      
   by Associated Press    
      
   Published: January 22,2015    
   Tags: Business, Gulf Coast, healthcare, Kevin Holland, Mississippi, NEWS,   
   Pascagoula, Singing River    
   PASCAGOULA    
      
   Singing River Hospital    
   Singing River Hospital    
      
   -- The Jackson County district attorney's office, the Federal Bureau of   
   Investigation and the state auditor's office are looking into allegations of   
   misconduct by officials with Singing River Health System.    
      
   Singing River has been under constant fire since it was made public that the   
   health system stopped paying into its retirees' pension fund in 2009.    
      
   District Attorney Tony Lawrence said the agencies are on a fact-finding   
   mission.    
      
   "If there were something of a criminal nature, I can assure you and I can   
   assure the citizens that this office wants it to be presented to a grand   
   jury," Lawrence said. "It will be presented to a grand jury, so ultimately the   
   citizens of this county ...    
   will decide if there's criminal activity out there."    
      
   Singing River spokesman Richard Lucas said the hospital is cooperating with   
   the agencies involved.    
      
   "We have been and will continue to be completely open and transparent with all   
   reviews and investigations of this or any nature. We are diligently providing   
   all the information requested by these entities, and will continue to do so.    
      
   "If there is any evidence of wrong doing, we want it brought out and handled   
   as quickly and appropriately as possible," Lucas said a statement Wednesday.    
      
   Aside from this criminal investigation, several civil lawsuits have been filed   
   against the health system to try to recover money lost in its pension fund and   
   financial shortfalls.    
      
   Singing River stopped contributing to its pension fund after 2009 without   
   informing employees. Employees continued to contribute a mandatory 3 percent   
   of pay to retirement through payroll deductions.    
      
   Employee contributions stopped Nov. 20 after the Board of Trustees voted to   
   terminate the plan and pay lump sums to those who had contributed. Vested   
   employees and retirees had expected to receive pensions for life.    
      
   Singing River CEO Kevin Holland said the hospital welcomes that process.    
      
   "If there's anything to suggest that there's been any inappropriate activity   
   here from a criminal standpoint, we obviously want that prosecuted as well,"   
   Holland said. "We want it handled to the full extent of the law."    
      
      
      
   http://msbusiness.com/blog/2015/01/22/local-state-federal-offici   
   ls-launch-singing-river-hospital-probe/   
      
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