Jackson Free Press

The University of Southern Mississippi's Small Business Development Center in Hattiesburg is partnering with the university's Gulf Coast center to hold a series of Business 101 workshops throughout the rest of May. The SBDC programs assist small businesses and entrepreneurs with education and training and help them secure small business loans.

USM will conduct three workshops at its Hattiesburg center and four at the Gulf Coast center. All workshops will take place between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The Hattiesburg workshops will be in room 207 on the second floor of the Trent Lott National Center on May 8, 15 and 22. The Gulf Coast workshops will be in the main conference room on the first floor of the Innovation Center in Biloxi on May 3, 10, 24 and 31.

The SBDC is a partnership with the Small Business Administration, the Mississippi Small Business Development Center Network, the University of Mississippi, the Trent Lott National Center, and the College of Business at USM. The MSBDC includes nine basic service centers throughout the state.

To register for a workshop, visit www.mssbdc.org and click on "Workshop Schedule" or call 601-266-5892 for the Hattiesburg center or 228-396-8661 for the Gulf Coast center.

Belhaven University Students Performing in Washington, D.C.

Erin Scheiwe Rockwell, associate professor of dance at Belhaven University, and 12 Belhaven University dance majors will travel to Washington, D.C., to perform at the 2018 National College Dance Festival from June 6 to June 9 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Belhaven is the only Mississippi university and Christian college performing in the event this year. University of Illinois, University of Texas, Connecticut College, Virginia Commonwealth University, Alabama State University and Temple University are some of the other universities participating.

The 12 Belhaven dance students who will perform are Stephanie Bonham, Madison Bordelon, Kayla Gray, Katherine Koon, Lydia Mathis, Alisa Nipp, Regine Pieters, Anna Rhodes, Josh Schaeffer, Betsie Stevens, Tori Tomes and Jenna Werner. They will perform Rockwell's choreographic work titled "Imag[(I)n]e," which was previously part of the 2018 American College Dance Association's South Region Gala Concert in Natchitoches, La., in April.

UMMC Renegotiating Contract with Blue Cross & Blue Shield

The University of Mississippi Medical Center announced on Monday, April 30, that it has entered negotiations with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi to update its contract with the insurance provider over the next two months.

The university will terminate its current agreement on June 30, 2018. Without a new agreement before then, UMMC will become out-of-network for BCBSMS customers, and patients may face higher out-of-pocket costs. However, the organizations usually make exceptions for patients who need emergency medical care or established patients who need continuation of care for an ongoing illness, UMMC said in a release. Members of the State and School Employees' Health Insurance Plan and their covered dependents would also not be affected.

UMMC offers the only Level I trauma center and children's hospital in Mississippi, as well as the only organ transplant service and an extensive telehealth network.