Rural healthcare faces unprecedented challenges. Limited resources, specialist shortages, and geographic isolation create barriers that urban centers rarely encounter. Yet in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, with a population of less than 5,000, Dr. William Morgan and his team at Copiah County Medical Center (CCMC) are proving that innovation doesn’t require a big budget or an extensive healthcare system. It requires vision, partnership, and an unwavering commitment to community.
A Leader's Journey
Dr. Morgan’s story begins with what should have been a brief stint.
“I took the job as a six-month assignment… When I got there, I recognized the needs of the community and truly what it was like for people to live in a rural community. And with the learnings that I’ve had in my career, it just was such an opportunity to make a difference.”
This moment of recognition—seeing not just the challenges but the potential—transformed both Dr. Morgan’s career trajectory and CCMC’s future. After 23 years practicing internal medicine, he understood that administrative leadership as Copiah’s CEO offered a different path to healing: “When you take care of patients, you typically take care of the individual, but when you get into the administrative world, you really take care of the collective by transforming systems.”
Extending Care With Technology
By partnering with companies like Neteera and Artisight, CCMC brings cutting-edge technology capabilities to a 25-bed critical access hospital. The results speak for themselves:
Fall prevention and patient monitoring: The CCMC team uses advanced sensing and AI capabilities to track patient movements and vital signs, enabling detection of deteriorating well-being before adverse events occur.
Smart emergency care: AI-powered patient insights are used to index severity, helping to determine which patients can safely remain at CCMC versus those requiring transfer to higher-level care facilities.
Telehealth innovation: From telecritical care to virtual nursing and tele-dialysis, technology extends specialist expertise directly to CCMC’s rural patients.
Transforming Care Philosophy
These innovations directly link to CCMC’s approach to patient care. Previously, certain conditions—like diabetic ketoacidosis—triggered automatic transfers to Jackson, which is an hour away. Now, thoughtful evaluation powered by patient insights helps providers confidently treat more patients locally.
Dr. Morgan explains the value of this transformation to patients and families:
“You don’t need to go to Jackson to get your healthcare. We will bring Jackson to you because you’re going to see the same specialist here that you’re going to see there.”
This isn’t just about convenience; it’s about taking on documented disparities in rural healthcare outcomes to ensure access to quality care.
Watch This Week Health Townhall episode: Bringing Innovation to Rural Healthcare with Dr. William Morgan to hear his story and insight.
Technology and Staff Development
The technology deployment has had an unexpected benefit: staff development. CCMC nurses now comfortably manage critical care patients and operate complex tele-dialysis equipment—skills that didn’t exist before these initiatives.
“The learning that our nurses are getting, we would not be able to get really any other way,” Dr. Morgan notes. “They really served as a platform for us to not only educate our nurses but also build a sense of pride about what they’re doing and what they’re accomplishing.”
Building these capabilities is changing public and employee perceptions. As word spreads about CCMC’s advanced capabilities, “they’re no longer seeing us as a sleepy rural hospital that doesn’t know what they’re doing.”
The Human Element of High-Tech Care
Despite embracing advanced technology, Dr. Morgan emphasizes that innovation must not overshadow compassion. He recalls his residency mentor saying:
“Whatever you do, touch your patient.”
Dr. Morgans says this is key, no matter how adept they get with technology. “We don’t want to lose sight of the fact that we’re taking care of people.”
This philosophy underscores a crucial truth: the most sophisticated AI and telemedicine platforms only succeed when they are used to enhance, rather than replace, human connection.
Lessons for Rural Healthcare Leaders
Dr. Morgan’s advice for other rural healthcare innovators centers on three key principles:
Seek willing partners: Companies like Neteera actively seek healthcare partners to develop and refine their products. Smaller hospitals provide ideal testing environments while gaining access to cutting-edge technology.
Embrace calculated risk: “Don’t be afraid of taking risks and trying the technology,” Dr. Morgan advises. “You will have challenges with adoption in the beginning. You must grit it out.”
Maintain intentionality: Be deliberate about innovative choices and leverage available funding—much of CCMC’s work receives support from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
A Model for the Future
CCMC’s transformation in “little Hazelhurst, Mississippi” is creating ripple effects that extend beyond county lines. By demonstrating that rural hospitals can deliver urban-quality care through strategic technology partnerships and a commitment to the community, CCMC provides a replicable model for healthcare transformation.
Ready to extend care in your communities? Connect with us to learn more, get a demo, and speak with our team.