May 13, 2022

COVID-19 update

This week, the United States marked a tragic milestone as the total number of Americans who have died in the pandemic reached 1,000,000. It is hard to comprehend this level of loss, and it is heartbreaking to think of all the families who have lost a loved one to this disease.

As we continue to track national and global trends, locally our symptomatic positivity rate is rising. Our seven-day rolling average is now at 10.14%. Our patient numbers have risen as well: As of Friday morning, we have 20 COVID-positive patients, 15 of whom remain infectious.

Time and time again, we have been humbled by this pandemic. We know it is not over and milestones like this are a reminder that we must remain vigilant and do everything we can to protect our communities and the most vulnerable among us.

Celebrating Hospital Week

This week, we celebrated Hospital Week and Employee Appreciation Day with our staff members, thanking them for everything they do for our patients. Leaders served free meals for our teams across all shifts at each of our main campuses.

At Cox South, staff members joined us for a brief ceremony Tuesday to open a time capsule that had been buried in the West Pavilion lobby in 1995. We looked back on staff photos, letters, videos, and even a paper copy of the hospital budget that our predecessors had left for us.

It was a unique moment to stop and reflect on our history, and look back at the leaders and people who made CoxHealth who we are. I was fortunate to participate in the ceremony alongside Max Buetow, who will carry on CoxHealth’s leadership legacy. If you missed the live broadcast, you can see the video at this link.

DNV survey update

We hosted surveyors from DNV-GL at Cox South this week for our accreditation survey. I am proud to report that we had a strong survey outcome, with surveyors noting the transparency and teamwork they observed during their visit. I am grateful to all of our teams who worked so hard preparing for the survey and for all of our staff who participated in the process. DNV surveyors are on site in Monett today and are expected to be in Barton County and Branson next week.

“We Want to Know” employee survey coming soon

We are preparing to launch our “We Want to Know” employee engagement survey at the end of May, seeking feedback from all of our staff members. Employees will offer input on everything from culture and teamwork to communication and leadership. The survey and the feedback we receive is vital to maintaining the best environment for our teams to provide patient care. I know our leadership teams are eager for the survey as its results will continue to guide their decisions in the future.

Voice of the patient

From patient feedback at Cox Branson: “I was taken care of in a professional and compassionate way. I felt that everyone really cared about my well-being.”

Thank you for all you do,
Steve

Direct Line from Steve Edwards 5/13/22