By Sarah Harper, Account Supervisor, FINN Partners
LinkedIn: Sarah Harper
LinkedIn: FINN Partners
“We’re small, but we think big,” said Stacy Taylor, CFO at Nemaha County Hospital.
That sentiment echoed throughout the TruBridge National Client Conference (NCC), where rural health executives, clinicians, and IT experts shared stories of creativity and adaptability as they work to sustain the wellbeing of their communities. Each conversation and session demonstrated that local hospitals are more than places of clinical care; they are community hubs, resource centers, and gathering spaces.
While headlines continue to highlight threats of hospital closures, staffing shortages, and service line cuts, Taylor and Susi VonBergen, COO/CNO at Nemaha County Hospital, described a different reality. Taylor, who was born at Nemaha County Hospital and has worked at the facility for nearly 30 years, said, “It’s very important that we remain independent. If you’re providing high-quality healthcare services, the finances will come.” Nemaha has built a solid financial foundation, which is supported by a strong workforce.
For many rural Americans, working at a local hospital is not just a job. It means caring for friends and neighbors and keeping one’s community at the heart of everything.
VonBergen emphasized the importance of culture as a vital component to staff recruitment and retention. She said, “Even during times of staffing crisis, we don’t hesitate to part ways with employees who are just not the right fit.” Taylor added, “We focus on taking care of our staff because they are the ones taking care of our patients.”
That same emphasis on culture and alignment doesn’t stop at staffing, it carries through to how these hospitals respond to the needs of their communities.
Rural healthcare teams don’t stop when faced with challenges; they rise to the occasion. Jill Hewett, Administrator of Integrated Care Services at Ozark Community Hospital, discussed how her facility developed a new behavioral health center to address a major community need. In fact, according to the American Hospital Association, 65% of rural counties do not have a psychiatrist and over 12 million rural adults suffer from behavioral health challenges.
Before establishing the Behavioral Health Hub, patients waited up to six months to receive care and mental health concerns were manifesting as preventable crises that required law enforcement intervention. The hospital brought on a psychiatrist and multiple psychiatric nurse practitioners, which has lifted pressure from primary care physicians, reduced strain on the system, and filled a significant gap.
While providers are at the center of these efforts, sustaining this level of care requires more than people alone. Across the conference, leaders described how tailored technology is becoming an essential partner to expand capacity, improve physician-patient connection, and reduce administrative burden.
Executives including Ryan Thousand, CIO at Dahl Memorial Health System prove that rural hospitals can be just as innovative as large urban systems. He champions the use of AI and encourages staff to identify areas where AI can save time. As a result, his operational teams have helped build multiple AI agents to improve efficiency. To foster buy-in, Thousand advised other CIOs to ground IT initiatives in storytelling. He said, “Make the technology personal.” It’s a reminder that technology must serve as a conduit to human connection.
Additionally, Dr. Peter Jewell, family medicine physician at Artesia General Hospital (AGH) is an early adopter of the full Microsoft Dragon Copilot integration into the EHR. The integration has already saved AGH physicians time and improved their connection with patients. AGH physicians report 50%–75% reduced time for documentation compared to non-integrated clinical dictation software. Dr. Jewell said, “I have more time to explain things, and patients appreciate that I’m not looking at a screen.”
Taken together, these examples show the essential role both technology innovation and human relationships continue to play in care delivery. The stories shared throughout the conference highlight a common thread: rural healthcare is deeply rooted in community, driven by people who are willing to adapt, expand services, and take on new challenges to meet local needs.
Through each conversation, the week’s theme rang true: Community First. Built to Last. As Chris Fowler, president and CEO at TruBridge said, “Care begins with people who show up.” Because in rural healthcare, showing up is not just part of the job; it is the foundation of how friends, neighbors, and community members receive care close to home from people they know and trust. Fowler concluded, “At the end of the day, it’s the community that matters, and you all [rural providers] refuse to let care leave your communities.”