MSU’s President Keenum takes part in Baptist celebration of OCH Regional Medical Center purchase

MSU President Mark E. Keenum will join Baptist Memorial Health Care leaders, employees and physicians, as well as Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors President Marvell Howard for a Monday [Oct. 6] event celebrating the purchase of OCH Regional Medical Center.

Baptist Memorial Health Care and the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors finalized the sale of OCH Regional Medical Center on Oct. 1. Baptist leaders, including the new hospital Administrator/CEO Mac Flynt and Chief Nursing Officer Lauri Sansing, will be joined by Oktibbeha County representatives and other local leaders to celebrate the purchase and future of healthcare in the county. While a student, Flynt was a member of the MSU football team.

This Monday’s event takes place at 10 a.m. at the Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County (formerly OCH Regional Medical Center) Community Room, 400 Hospital Rd. in Starkville.

The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors initiated the proposal process for the sale of OCH Regional Medical Center in January 2025. The board announced that it would sell the hospital to Baptist Memorial Health Care on May 5. Oktibbeha County and Baptist signed a definitive asset purchase agreement for the sale of the hospital on Aug. 18 and completed the sale on Oct. 1.