Lacey Carter selected as CEO for Mississippi County Hospital System

Mississippi County Hospital System (MCHS) has selected Lacey Carter as the healthcare system’s new CEO, effectively immediately.

Carter joins MCHS from Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains, Mo., where her career advanced through several executive leadership roles, including chief operations officer, chief nursing officer and executive director of nursing.

The MCHS Board of Directors unanimously voted in December for the hospital system to partner with St. Bernards Healthcare for management assistance.

Through this agreement, St. Bernards manages day-to-day operations at both Great River Medical Center in Blytheville and South Mississippi County (SMC) Regional Medical Center in Osceola. Carter, the first management appointee since the transition, succeeds interim CEO Josh Conlee, who has served since January.

MCHS Board President John Logan said that Carter’s presence strengthens rural healthcare delivery and access in Mississippi County.

“Working together, we now have an opportunity to enhance locally based healthcare,” Logan said. “With Mrs. Carter’s expertise leading our hospitals, we look forward to expanding our care reach throughout the county.”

MCHS has direct access to St. Bernards Healthcare’s network of specialists and subspecialists.

“I’m honored to join this system’s dedicated teams and work alongside them to serve Mississippi County, our family’s new home,” Carter said. “My roots run deep in rural healthcare, and it’s my mission that local communities have access to high quality care close to its members live and work. Together, we’ll build upon the legacy of service at both Great River and SMC.”

Carter earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Missouri State University and a master’s degree in nursing in leadership and healthcare systems from the University of Colorado. She also graduated from Missouri State University-West Plains with an associate of arts in general studies and an associate of science in Nursing in 2010.