Gov. Phil Bryant came into office in 2012 vowing to start a medical complex in Mississippi. The challenge presented by that goal is clear by the fact that it took more than six years to unveil plans for it.
Economists are predicting that the Medical City at Tradition, a new community on the Gulf Coast, could create up to 9,400 jobs over the next decade and, over that same period, generate between $1.3 billion and $2 billion worth of new economic activity.
Planners chose the right beginning for the Tradition medical complex. A press release said the first component pursued will be the creation of the National Diabetes and Obesity Research Center, described as “a world-class research center with the mission of finding a cure for diabetes.”
Indeed, Mississippi will need plenty of world-class research to do something about its problems with diabetes and obesity, which are two medical conditions in abundance among the population.
The high rates of poor health — diabetes alone costs the state an estimated $3 billion a year — are a drag on the broader economy. At the very least, they require more spending on government benefits. Even worse, they keeps more people out of the labor force.
Plans for Tradition include a nursing school for 800 students, operated by Gulf Coast Community College. The school will be named after Bryant.
If things go as planned, the governor will deserve the recognition.
