The City of Joplin sues the Nevada Regional Medical Center for violating an ordinance that prohibits dropping off transients inside the Joplin city limits. 

The lawsuit alleges that NRMC left a transient patient stranded in Joplin in July 2025 and then again in September. The suit claims that both patients were discharged from NRMC and transported to Joplin when their Medicaid benefits expired. Each patient was told they would have shelter.

The Joplin City Council passed the ordinance in November, making it illegal to intentionally drop off transient individuals in the community, stating that such individuals “negatively affect the health and safety of the community through increases in crime, drug activity, and pollution” while also straining public resources.