How to Find Award-winning Health Care in Oxford, MS

Residents of this North Mississippi city don't have to travel far to find top-notch services.

By Kevin Litwin on October 26, 2023

Chad Mellon

When it comes to seeking top-notch health care in Oxford, MS, residents don’t have to venture far.

Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi has earned Platinum Performance Achievement Awards for the past four years from the American College of Cardiology. The hospital has also been ranked among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, and national safety organization Leapfrog has given the hospital an “A” rating in the Care category. 

Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi is under the umbrella of Baptist Memorial Health Care, one of the country’s largest not-for-profit health care systems and the largest provider of Medicaid in the North Mississippi region.

Besides Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi, the health care system has 21 other affiliate hospitals throughout Mississippi as well as western Tennessee and eastern Arkansas. 

New CEO and Administrator

Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi welcomed a new CEO and administrator in 2023. Brian Welton was appointed in May to head the day-to-day operations of the 217-bed hospital that provides health care in Oxford and the northern third of Mississippi.

Welton began his career with the Baptist Memorial Health Care system in 2012 and quickly advanced up the ranks, becoming CEO and administrator of the 11-bed Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 2017. 

Welton oversaw the design, construction and opening of the Crittenden facility as well as the operations after it opened.

Now at Baptist North Mississippi, Welton has replaced long-time CEO and administrator Bill Henning, who retired in May of 2023 after 10 years heading the hospital – including supervising construction of the current Baptist North Mississippi facility that opened in 2017. 

“I appreciate transitioning from West Memphis to Oxford with the help of Bill [Henning] and the leadership team here at [Baptist Memorial Hospital] North Mississippi,” Welton says. “Oxford is a great market for health care, especially with such a beautiful hospital. This medical facility is a gem in the state of Mississippi for health care.” 

A Lot of Listening

Welton was born in Nashville and raised in Memphis, and he completed his undergraduate studies in 2010 at the University of Tennessee. He then attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he earned a master’s degree in health care administration as well as a master’s degree in business administration. 

Welton says his goal in the first year as CEO and administrator is getting to know everyone on staff and “do a lot of listening” about what it takes to deliver top-notch health care in Oxford.

“I’m not here to stir things up,” he says. “There is no reason for me to do that. The hospital leaders are doing a great job, and so are the physicians and nurses. Baptist North Mississippi is a hospital that serves many people in our region, and patients know that they don’t need to drive anywhere else for their medical needs. We have everything right here in their backyard.” 

Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi

More Medical Professionals Needed

Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi opened in November of 2017 after eight years of planning and at a cost of $300 million.

The five-story, 600,000-square-foot facility houses 30 medical specialty services, including an emergency room, heart care center, cancer care, women’s health, sleep disorders and weight loss. With an array of specialties, and a staff that totals over 125 medical and surgical professionals, it’s one of the fastest-growing hospitals in the region. 

Like most hospitals throughout the U.S., Baptist Memorial is facing staffing challenges. According to Primary Care Collaborative, based in Washington, D.C., 18% of health care workers across the U.S. quit their jobs during the pandemic. 

To attract more top-talent employees, Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi has established the New Graduate Nurse Fellowship program and Internal Medicine Residency program that offer competitive pay, flexible schedules and educational opportunities. 

“Our graduate nurses can receive extra top-level training to earn extra certification, which can get them into pretty much whatever field of medicine they most desire,” Welton says. “And for doctors doing residency here, Oxford is an attractive community to live and work. There is much to do in Oxford.”