North Mississippi Medical Center, a 650-bed regional referral center in Tupelo, was selected for the 2006 Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest Presidential honor for organizational performance. NMMC-Tupelo holds the distinction of being the largest private hospital in Mississippi and the largest non-metropolitan hospital in America. The medical center serves more than 650,000 people in 22 counties in north Mississippi, northwest Alabama and portions of Tennessee.

Area residents have access to a medical staff representing more than 45 medical specialties, as well as centers of excellence in cancer treatment and research, neurology, neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, cardiology, pulmonology, rehabilitation, chemical dependency, and neonatal programs. In addition, the NMMC Home Health and Hospice Agency serves patients throughout north Mississippi.

NMMC-Tupelo is designated as a Level II trauma center by the Mississippi State Department of Health. To receive this designation, facilities must offer a full range of trauma capabilities, including an Emergency Department, a full service surgical suite, intensive care unit and diagnostic imaging, as well as make a commitment to consistently meet national guidelines or standards in caring for trauma patients.

The NMMC hospitalist program has been recognized by The American Journal of Medicine for providing cost-efficient care to hospitalized patients. The program, which began in 1997, employs several internal medicine physicians who work together to provide daytime and nighttime coverage to hospitalized patients who do not have a primary care physician, or whose primary care physicians do not have hospital practices.