Direct Line from Max Buetow for 6/17/22

June 17, 2022

Pivoting our focus toward the future

COVID-19 has been the focus of health care over the last two and a half years, and rightfully so. Our CoxHealth leadership and health care teams have led us through some of the most challenging times in our history, and I am grateful for their dedication.

Now, I am glad to report that our vigilance and efforts have positioned us well to manage the next phase of the pandemic.

Throughout the pandemic, we have tailored our approach based on rates of disease in the community. In the delta and omicron waves, we did the right thing by acting quickly and adjusting policies to protect our patients and staff.

Although COVID-19 is far from predictable, both CoxHealth and our community are in a much stronger position to face both today’s challenges and those we will see in the future. Because of the hard work of our teams, we have systematically reduced our vulnerabilities in the key areas of staffing, supplies, and space. Furthermore, despite seeing a current uptick in infections, our number of hospitalizations and infected staff remain in a manageable range.

These factors are allowing us the flexibility to moderate our response to the virus based on current trends, approaching COVID-19 in much the same way we manage any number of serious illnesses.

At this point in time, we have the good fortune of more stable conditions, and this allows us to take a targeted approach to protecting our patients and staff from disease. For example, we made changes to our masking policy for non-patient facing areas, and we were also recently able to dial back our entrance screener presence. These decisions were supported by both CDC guidelines as well as the recommendations of our CoxHealth experts.

With all of this said, we stand ready to protect our staff and our community if cases rise, due to a surge, new variants or other factors. We will continue to follow the science and respond aggressively to any increased risk.

We will continue to communicate about our COVID-19 response as needed. That means you likely won’t see weekly updates if current trends remain stable. If those trends change, though, I am committed to communicating transparently with our staff and the community, as we always have.

We have so much on the horizon as an organization, we are ready to move forward and focus on our future. In the coming weeks and months, you will see some exciting things from us as we share more information about our strategy and where we go next.

In-person hiring event June 23

As we continue to grow for our future, we are hosting our first in-person hiring event since 2019 on Thursday, June 23, from 4-6 p.m.

Our HR team will be highlighting opportunities from across the system with more than 100 clinical and non-clinical positions. For those seeking to build their careers, this is a chance to pursue their passion at an organization that was named one of Modern Healthcare’s best places to work in health care, an award we were honored to receive two years in a row.

If you know someone looking for a meaningful career, or you have a friend or close relative you want to stop crashing on your couch, you can see all the details here: https://www.coxhealth.com/events/open-house-hiring-event/.

Dedication of the Wayne and Jo Scheer Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Scheer Family Swing Unit

This week, we dedicated the Wayne and Jo Scheer Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Scheer Family Swing Unit in our Pediatrics department at Cox South.

Earlier this year, the Scheers pledged $700,000 to support lifesaving pediatric equipment in the swing unit and PICU, as well as other needs that may arise in the units.

I am thankful for their generosity and for all that their gift will do for our pediatric patients. It is an honor to have the Scheer family name associated with CoxHealth.

CoxHealth Kids Safety Fair, June 25

Looking to burn off some of your kids’ summer energy? We are proud to announce the return of the CoxHealth Kids Safety Fair on June 25, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The event is a chance for families to gather for safety education, interactive activities, food trucks, and more. Kids can also tour fire trucks, police vehicles, ambulance and CoxHealth’s Air Care helicopter. This year’s safety fair will be held in the Ferrell-Duncan west lot from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on June 25. Find the event details here.

Voice of the patient

From inpatient feedback at Cox South: “I feel they need a special award for the ones that cared for me during my stay.”

Thank you for all you do,

Max