Not too long ago, Natchez Regional Medical Center caused a stir when it petitioned the state to ease its burden under the Public Employees Retirement System.

The public hospital, needing to shore up its finances, was looking for ways to cut back. The PERS option did not work out &8212; to the relief of many hospital employees &8212; but Natchez Regional is back to operating in the black.

That&8217;s a welcome sign for the new year, and a welcome sign for the entire community.

NRMC suffered some blows with the closing of the International Paper mill and tort reform problems. But good old-fashioned hard work has helped the hospital get back on track.

Health care has become big business in Adams County. Most health care professionals would tell you they&8217;d prefer to be a complement to larger industries, but having state-of-the-art &8212; and financially sound &8212; health care facilities will help us as we attract new businesses.

With a public hospital in good financial straits, our community has one more thing to offer to industries interested in locating here.

Natchez Regional&8217;s administrators have something to be proud of.

In an age when health care costs are rising, but federal reimbursements are not, operating without a deficit &8212; and in fact, overcoming a deficit &8212; at a public hospital is quite an achievement.

This is good news for the health care industry &8212; and good news for our community.