April 28, 2023

Caring for the caregivers with our well-being efforts

When you work in a field dedicated to caring for others, it’s more important than ever to make sure that you are taking care of yourself.

I had breakfast this week with a friend who went through Pastoral Care’s chaplain residency program. He told me about his first night as a resident, when he was called to the ER to be with a family whose 2-year-old had been in a car accident. Just minutes later, he was with the family of a young woman who suffered a gunshot wound.

It is eye opening to me to reflect on those situations and all the challenges our colleagues see up close. These are realities in our hospitals – for our first responders and for everyone who plays a role in patient care. There is no way a person can experience the situations and the losses our caregivers see and not be affected.

As an organization, we need to support ways to offload that burden. To help our teams, we have to keep the pedal down on our well-being and mental health resources and support we provide our caregivers.

I was proud that we held a series of well-being fairs for our colleagues this week, bringing together resources ranging from our mental health and wellness apps to community partnerships and fitness resources.

It is powerful to see all we are doing to support our teams all in one room, but I know we have a long way to go. We have to have the support and the resources, and we have to create awareness and willingness for people to recognize the trauma they face and that they can seek help.

Personally, I know there is more I need to do for myself. I have mentioned that I work with a coach as I evolve as an executive. As a next step, I am planning to sign up for our Modern Health app. I am not just a CEO, I’m a husband and father of four. Life can be hectic, and I am working on focusing on saying “yes” to more things that replenish me (Bible study, the gym), and saying “no” to things that don’t (standing at the top of a 20-foot extension ladder to replace a missing piece of fascia?).

We all need to consider how we are taking care of ourselves.

I have made the plea to our colleagues: please help us help you. I tell our teams that we need to know if what we have in place is not hitting the mark because this is not about checking a box for us. This is about having a meaningful impact on the lives of others.

That is true for CoxHealth as an organization as well. It is our responsibility to take care of our teams, and we will continue doing everything in our power to live up to that responsibility.

Collaborative diversity conference

I was proud to join Dr. Shelby Hahn of the CoxHealth Family Medicine Residency for a panel discussion about collaborative diversity at Missouri State University this week.

We are in the business of caring for people, and it is our goal to create an environment where all people feel a sense of belonging and are welcome to work, volunteer or receive care. I believe our unique perspectives, talents and experiences are the foundation of our excellence.

We had a good discussion about health disparities in our region and how, as health care providers, it is part of our duty to improve access and help reduce those disparities.

I know socioeconomic barriers, differing levels of trust in health care, and the rural/urban divide can all play a role in creating disparities. We work to understand how health disparities impact people in the communities we serve, and we are committed to working with our community partners to remove barriers to care and improve health outcomes.

As we have made a commitment to a culture of belonging, we know actions speak louder than words. For me – and for CoxHealth – the commitment is about the fundamentals of respect, compassion, dignity and integrity. Focusing on belonging is about fundamentally doing the right thing to respect people in their whole personhood.

I appreciated the discussion and look forward to continuing our work to create, nurture and sustain a culture where differences drive innovative, caring solutions to meet the needs of our employees and patients.

Alicia Allen named vice president of nursing for CoxHealth’s Springfield Hospital Group

This week, we announced Alicia Allen as our vice president of nursing for CoxHealth’s Springfield Hospital Group. In her new role, she will lead nursing practice throughout CoxHealth’s Springfield hospitals, including operational aspects of planning, organizing, directing and evaluating nursing care.

Alicia comes to us from Carle Health in Bloomington, Illinois. She most recently served as director of emergency, trauma, EMS and critical care services at Carle Health.

“Alicia possesses strong strategic vision and planning, coupled with effective operations management skills,” says Beth Polivka, CoxHealth’s System Chief Nursing Officer. “She is a published and accomplished nurse, but equally a kind, compassionate, and caring nurse leader.”

I am so excited to welcome Alicia – I know she will be an outstanding addition to our CoxHealth family! You can see the full news release at this link.

A special birthday

On a personal note, my oldest celebrated his 13th birthday this week. In the midst of busy day-to-day family life, it was a time to pause and step back and think about the relationships between fathers and sons.

I still remember like it was yesterday the conversation with my dad when I turned 13. He told me I was now a man and that meant being accountable to my decisions. Now, I cannot believe I am at the point where I am father to a teenager. As my son enters a new chapter of life, I know the next five years will go by so quickly.

I am not always the easiest as a dad, and I am consistently pushing him on ways to elevate his life. Now that I think of it, he may need to pick more of the yard work, for the well-being of both of us!

Any time I hear people talking about how terrible teenagers can be, I know that cliché won’t be true for him. He is the most incredible young man, and I am so proud of him. I don’t know how God will use him in life, but he will do great things.

New CoxHealth Ozarks Dialysis Center

CoxHealth’s Ozarks Dialysis Services is set to open the doors on a new dialysis center on Kearney Street in Springfield. Our teams are expanding services and moving into the new space to serve more patients in our community.

We will cut the ribbon on the facility at 1007 E. Kearney St. on Thursday afternoon. At this new, additional location, we will offer care Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

I am excited to see our teams expand into the space!

Recognizing our teams: Banners on Cox South’s skywalk

Don’t forget to check out CoxHealth’s new banners next time you are driving down National in Springfield. The banners are part of our ongoing brand campaign, building on the new ads we announced last week. I’m so proud to highlight our amazing teams through our Magnet designation and being voted best place to work five times!

Voice of the Patient

Adapted from inpatient feedback at Cox Springfield: “Quite frankly, your nurses and support staff set a very high bar. I am thankful for all of them.”

Thank you for all you do,

Max

Direct Line from Max Buetow for 4/28/2023