Newsweek says these 5 Mississippi nursing homes are among best in US
Devoted daughter seeks help when caring for mom becomes too much
Miriam Sabir reveals how a caregiving facility Holladay, Utah, helps her cope with caring for her aging mom Connie.
Five Mississippi nursing homes ranked among the best in the U.S., according to a new list from Newsweek.
North Pointe Health & Rehabilitation in Meridian led the state rankings.
“This year’s list recognizes the top 1,200 nursing homes across the United States. Facilities were evaluated on four pillars including performance data, peer recommendations, accreditations and resident satisfaction, with performance data carrying an increased weight in 2026 to reflect the growing emphasis on clinical quality metrics,” Newsweek’s healthcare editor Alexi Kayser wrote.
Here’s what you need to know about the best nursing home facilities in Mississippi.
Newsweek lists 5 best Mississippi nursing homes
All local facilities were in the weekly news magazine’s smallest category, for 50-99 beds. Other rankings looked at places with 100-149 bed and more than 150 spots for residents.
All accept Medicaid, and most accept Medicare. None are part of continuing care retirement communities.
No. 1: North Pointe Health & Rehabilitation in Meridian
North Pointe Health & Rehabilitation in Meridian has 60 certified beds. It accepts Medicare and Medicaid, and there’s a resident council to offer input and advocate for residents.
Medicare rankings show it’s a 5-star facility with high scores in health inspections and staffing. Quality measures, however, are below average.
North Pointe offers Alzheimer’s care, according to U.S. News & World Report, and it is high performing for both short- and long-term rehabilitation.
No. 2: James T. Champion in Meridian
James T. Champion in Meridian has 70 certified beds and is run by East Mississippi State Hospital. The facility is part of The Pines at Lakeland complex. It accepts Medicaid, but not Medicare, and has a resident council.
It’s a 4-star facility, according to Medicare rankings. Staffing earned the highest rank, and health inspections got 4 out of 5 available stars. Quality measures, however, got a single star and are notably lower than average.
U.S. News & World report gave James T. Champion a 3 out of 5. It does not offer Alzheimer’s care and got an average score for long-term care.
No. 3: Pontotoc Health & Rehab Center in Pontotoc
Pontotoc Health & Rehab Center in Pontotoc has 60 certified beds. It accepts Medicare and Medicaid, and has a resident council.
It’s a 5-star facility, according to Medicare data, with high scores in quality measures. It also has 4 stars for health inspections and staffing.
U.S. News ranks it a 3 out of 5. It does not offer Alzheimer’s care and got average scores for short- and long-term care.
No. 4: Carthage Senior Care in Carthage
Carthage Senior Care in Carthage has 60 certified beds. It accepts Medicare and Medicaid, and there’s a resident and family council.
Medicare gives the facility five stars. It has 5-star scores in health inspections and staffing. Quality measures were below average.
According to U.S. News, Carthage Senior Care is a 3 out of 5. It got average scores for short- and long-term care.
No. 5: Jefferson Davis Community Hospital in Prentiss
Jefferson Davis Community Hospital in Prentiss has 55 certified beds. It takes Medicare and Medicaid and has a family and resident council.
It’s a 5-star Medicare facility, with the highest rankings for health inspections and staffing. It got an average score for quality measures.
The extended care facility was scored 3 out of 5, per U.S. News. It does not offer Alzheimer’s care and got average scores for short- and long-term care.
How many people in Mississippi get Medicaid?
According to KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 667,000 people in Mississippi get health care via Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Total spending in the state is $6.3 billion, and about $5.2 billion comes from federal funding.
More than half of recipients (52%) are kids, and most (58%) live in rural areas.
According to KFF, Medicaid in Mississippi covers:
- 74% of nursing home residents.
- 57% of births.
- 48% of children.
- 38% of working adults with disabilities.
- 26% of Medicare beneficiaries.
- 14% of adults ages 19-64.
More than half of adult Medicaid recipients in Mississippi — 58% — are working, per KFF.
America’s Best Nursing Homes 2026
To see the full Newsweek list, go to rankings.newsweek.com/americas-best-nursing-homes-2026.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at [email protected].
link
