In March 2019, Dr. Jon Corey Jackson was in Washington DC as Mississippi's representative at the American Psychiatric Association’s Advocacy Day. The idea of a Psychiatry Residency Program at Mississippi State Hospital came from a conversation between Dr. Jackson and a representative from the office of United States Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS).

While speaking with Senator Hyde-Smith’s staff, Dr. Jackson pointed out that Mississippi had fewer psychiatrists per capita than many other states.  When asked how the number of psychiatrists in Mississippi could be increased, Dr. Jackson responded that Mississippi needed to train more psychiatrists because the data shows that most physicians remain in the state in which they complete residency.  The representative asked Dr. Jackson if Mississippi State Hospital (MSH) would be interested in starting a residency program, and Dr. Jackson enthusiastically responded that MSH would.

After returning to Mississippi, Dr. Jackson was contacted by Senator Hyde-Smith’s office, and he was asked to contact Dr. John Mitchell at the Office of Mississippi Physician Workforce (OMPW).  Created by the Mississippi Legislature in 2012, the OMPW’s mission is to reduce the shortage of physicians by expanding residency training programs. The OMPW provided MSH with consultants and other resources needed to become a Sponsoring Institution with the Accreditation Council for Medical Education (ACGME) in January 2020.  MSH then received its final accreditation for the psychiatry residency program February 12, 2021.