Direct Line From Max Buetow For 8/9/2024

Remembering Sam Hamra and his commitment to the community and CoxHealth 

This weekend, we lost an icon of both our region and CoxHealth: businessman, philanthropist, and community leader, Sam Hamra. 

Sam was the definition of an excellent CoxHealth board member—he was our biggest fan in the community, but, behind closed doors, he constantly pushed us to achieve our full potential. Sam dedicated far more than his valuable time; he was a powerful source of expertise, energy, and passion. His influence in the organization has been profound. 

“He truly loved people,” says CoxHealth board member, Larry Lipscomb. Larry remembers how Sam always made the effort to meet people and make introductions for everyone in his circle. “He flourished in our community, he gave back and we were all the beneficiaries of that.” 

I didn’t have the benefit of knowing Sam Hamra for decades, as so many people at CoxHealth have. I have only gotten to know Sam Hamra in the last few years. 

And what a special experience – to be sitting at the table, talking to a person who was a contemporary of our namesake. To hear stories of CoxHealth’s formative days and what it was like to be in a room with Lester E. Cox. I got to learn about our organization through the eyes of someone who has a completely unique perspective. Sam was one of the few remaining leaders who were there when the foundation was being laid for everything we know as CoxHealth today. We have the benefit of looking back in hindsight at what their leadership meant for all of us. 

It is unfortunate that we are losing that generation of leaders, but I know I have been extremely fortunate to have been in the presence of leaders like Sam Hamra, whose fingerprints are all over the development of our organization. 

With his huge heart and success as a business owner, he became one of the individuals who stepped up to become a major donor for the CoxHealth Foundation. I love that our name will be forever linked to Sam and June Hamra. Hulston, Wheeler, Lipscomb, Turner, Jared, Martin and Meyer – these are part of the “Mt. Rushmore” of CoxHealth, and Sam Hamra is one of those names. 

“As I reflect on the leadership that brought us from a two-hospital campus to a six-hospital health system, we have to honor and appreciate board members like Sam who had the vision to see what could become,” says Lisa Alexander, president of the CoxHealth Foundation. “He had great pride in the role he played for CoxHealth, and he truly was one in a million.” 

In his later years, I also got to see the personal side of Sam as he was with us as a patient. It was inspiring to see the warmth and the graciousness in every interaction. He was a man from another era – I am sure he could be a tough businessman, but he was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. 

And usually when I saw Sam, he would ask people how many kids they had, so he could make sure they had coupons for a free Frosty from Hamra’s Wendy’s franchise. And over the years, my kids enjoyed plenty of those Frostys! 

There was never a time when I saw Sam that I didn’t walk away feeling blessed to know him. He truly embodied the kind of leader we all hope to be – one who excels not only at business but as a community member and person. 

Our team joins our entire community in simultaneously mourning the loss and celebrating the life of Sam Hamra, and my prayers are with the Hamra family through this time. 

Welcoming new physicians with an evening at the ballpark 

We took time on Thursday to welcome new physicians with a Springfield Cardinals game. 

For CoxHealth, Springfield Cardinals games are a mainstay for celebrating and for building relationships. There is nothing quite like being at a local baseball game. 

We bring diverse talent from all over the globe into our region and organization, and it’s such a fitting way to introduce people to our team and to our community. 

We want our physicians to not only love CoxHealth but to love our region so that they put down deep roots here. We want them to see themselves working, living and playing here for the long-term. 

This event is one of the first introductions our physicians have not only to CoxHealth but to Springfield in general. And the Springfield Cardinals do “Springfield” well! General Manager Dan Reiter and his team do a wonderful job of creating a fun, family-friendly atmosphere that regularly showcases the best parts of our community. 

You get a chance to meet physicians and their families in a casual setting, and it is a great foot to start off on. And I love that it happens to be in one of the best entertainment environments in the state. 

A shout out to physician recruitment: This has been a record-setting year for physician recruitment at CoxHealth, with more than 70 physicians that will start in 2024. That doesn’t happen by accident; you don’t recruit more than 70 of the best talents in the world without a lot of effort! I want to especially thank the Physician Recruitment team: Paula Johnson, Michelle Freeman, Michael Mann, Penny Riddle, Janet Champion, Jordon McKay and Sam Nelson. This group deserves far more credit than they ever receive for the significant contributions they make to improving the health of the communities we serve. 

Fan-tastic token of appreciation 

This week, we had a special opportunity to present a unique gift to Governor Mike Parson. 

He was visiting the campus of The Alliance for Healthcare Education for a Hawthorn Foundation event. Before the event kicked off, we presented the Governor with a gift at the top of everyone’s list: a fan from a hospital room. Stick with me, there’s meaning behind it! 

Several years ago, Governor Parson had an unexpected health issue that led to him being a patient at Cox South. When he awoke from a serious surgery, that fan was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes to realize he made it through okay. 

"When you wake up from surgery, you just want to see somebody, something to make sure you're still alive,” says Parson. “So, I opened my eyes and believe it or not, that fan was the first thing I saw, and I thought, 'Hey look, it's that fan! I'm back!’ That's why the fan is special.” 

Governor Parson has done a lot for our state and for health care, and it was just a small token of appreciation our team wanted to share with him. 

I was glad the Governor had a sense of humor about the whole thing, and I was grateful that he – and everyone at the Hawthorn Foundation – took time out their busy schedules to join us at Cox North. 

Voice of the patient 

Adapted from patient feedback at Cox Monett: “This hospital stay was by far the best stay I have ever had. The nurses and CNAs were by far the best I have ever had in my 71 years. … If you can say a hospital stay was enjoyable, this was overly enjoyable. Absolutely the best staff and hospital I've ever encountered.” 

Thank you for all you do, 

Max