Show Me the Ozarks August 2022

Featuring Barton County SMTO

Left to right: Dr. Jeremy Sturgell, Emergency Room Medical Director, and Chris Wyatt, Hospital President. COX BARTON COUNTY’S ER Dream Team Article Provided by Cox Barton County Hospital T he men’s national basketball team of the United States won gold in the 1992 Olympics. It was nicknamed the Dream Team because it was the first American Olympic team to feature active professional players. Recently, Cox Barton County Hospital assembled its own dream team of quality players in its emergency department.

During the recruitment process, Cox Barton County struggled to try to get ER-trained physicians to give the critical access hospital a look. “Trying to get them to visit here was half the battle,” he said. “Once they arrived, they could see this was going to be a great place to practice medicine.” Some of the qualities Dr. Sturgell was looking for and was not willing to compromise on during the recruitment process were finding physicians who were interested in getting to know their patients and seeking out those who were passionate about rural emergency medicine.

The team, put together by Dr. Jeremy Sturgell, medical director of the Cox Barton County Hospital’s emergency department, could potentially be one of the best critical-access hospital ERs across the country. “Certainly, when we first started recruiting for physicians, it had its challenges,” said Sturgell. “We were very specific in the qualities and skills needed, and we never wavered during the recruiting process to get exactly what and who we needed.”

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