Healthcare Hollow: Infections can be deadly in rural Tennessee; one county is trying to change that

Healthcare Hollow: Infections can be deadly in rural Tennessee; one county is trying to change that

In rural Hawkins County, Tennessee, a reliable hospital is 30 to 45 minutes away. That’s precious time without treatment for patients experiencing sepsis, a life-threatening medical emergency. Now, ambulance crews there are carrying antibiotics for the first time in an effort to save more lives. On a chilly morning in Hawkins County, Sam McMurry stands in the middle of a brightly lit conference room watching as wall-mounted monitors light up wit…