Amite County Medical Services, Inc. (ACMS) was formally organized in 1979 for the purpose of improving access to health care services and improving the health status of the residents of Amite County, Mississippi. After a detailed evaluation of the primary care needs and resources of Amite County, Liberty was targeted for a medical clinic site and a grant application was submitted to the United States Public Health Service for assistance in developing a health care delivery site. ACMS received its initial operational grant in 1979 and its first clinic was opened in July 1980, providing full preventive and acute primary medical care services for the residents of Amite County and the surrounding areas. The medical clinic was located in a leased facility in downtown Liberty until a new, expanded facility was constructed at 102 West Freedom Drive, Liberty, MS in 2009.
In 2001, ACMS opened a second dental clinic in Liberty, MS. This clinic was established in a leased modular building located in the Liberty Industrial Park. A full-time dentist and a part-time dental hygienist were recruited and the proximity of the new services for more of the population quickly led to this being the busiest dental practice of the two.
An administrative wing was also placed in the modular building with the Liberty Dental Services clinic because additional office space was needed. ACMS applied for funding through the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development program to secure funds to construct a facility that would replace both the dated, cramped medical clinic and the modular unit that housed both administration and the Liberty Dental Services clinic. The new facility was completed and operational in 2009.
In 2009 and 2012, ACMS received funding to purchase a Mobile Unit to establish medical and dental examination services at area schools. This had helped ACMS continue to grow in both the numbers of patients served and the number of clinical encounters.
Opening the Pike County Medical Services clinic in December 2015. ACMS established a new Access Point in McComb, Mississippi (Pike County), this medical clinic will help ACMS to continue to grow in both the number of patients and the number of clinical encounters.
Quality of care is one of the top priorities of ACMS. In 2018, ACMS received the HRSA Silver Certificate of Achievement as a Health Center Quality Leader. In 2019 and 2020, ACMS received the HRSA Gold Certificate of Achievement as a Health Center Quality Leader ranking ACMS among the top 10% of health centers nationally for clinical quality. Also in 2020, ACMS received the HRSA Gold Certificate of Achievement as a National Quality Leader in diabetes health. In 2021, ACMS received the HRSA Silver Certificate as a Health Center Quality Leader ranking it in the top 11-20% of health centers for best overall clinical quality measure performance.