Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care will assume operations of Merit Health Rankin, a 134-bed hospital in Brandon, Miss., later this year, adding a 26th hospital to the nonprofit system.
The Rankin County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted June 2 to assign the lease for Merit Health Rankin and its operations to Baptist Memorial. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, pending completion of transition activities and regulatory approvals.
Under the agreement, Baptist Memorial will invest $70 million to improve the hospital and expand its services. The health system also plans to offer employment to all active Merit Health Rankin employees in good standing, representing more than 175 workers.
Merit Health Rankin is currently operated by Brandon HMA, an affiliate of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems. The hospital provides diagnostic, emergency, inpatient and geriatric behavioral health services, including an 18-bed senior care program.
“We are very thoughtful about entering new communities as healthcare partners,” Jason Little, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care, said in a news release. “We believe we can deliver exceptional community-based healthcare that will connect this community to our network.”
CHS said it will work with Baptist Memorial to ensure a smooth transition.
The acquisition will expand Baptist Memorial’s footprint across Mississippi, where the system currently operates 14 hospitals. The system added nine Mississippi hospitals since 2016 through mergers, acquisitions and organic growth.
The deal follows Baptist Memorial’s March acquisition of Paragould, Ark.-based Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, which became the system’s 25th hospital. Baptist Memorial currently operates 25 hospitals across Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas and employs more than 24,000 people.
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