Potential buyers of Singing River Health System have until March 10 to submit their bids, according to local news outlet WLOX.
The three-hospital system with locations in Ocean Springs, Pascagoula and Gulfport, Miss., is financially healthy and wants to sell from a position of strength, according to CEO Tiffany Murdock.
"It's not a cheap industry anymore, and for it to be put on the taxpayers in Jackson and Harrison counties, it wasn't fair," Ms. Murdock said. "And we wanted to do it from a place of strength. We didn't want to do it when we were bankrupt or if that was a possibility. We wanted to do it because we want to grow."
Singing River is the second-largest employer in Jackson County with about 3,500 employees, according to WLOX. Supervisors from Jackson County — which owns the health system — gave the green light for proposals to sell in November.
The county has not yet received any bids for the purchase but expects most to come closer to the March 10 deadline, according to the report. Jackson County supervisors hope to select the best bid and begin negotiations with that group by April 14.