Direct Line from Max Buetow for 9/1/2023

Sept. 1, 2023

The Alliance for Healthcare Education: A pivotal moment of collaboration

There are times when you get to witness a truly pivotal moment – a point that will change the future of health care in our region for decades to come.

I was privileged to join the leaders of three of our region’s top academic institutions for one of those moments this Tuesday as we announced the Alliance for Healthcare Education.

The alliance is a bold, collaborative approach that will develop the talent to meet – and exceed – our region’s health care workforce needs. Tuesday’s announcement was a major step toward making that vision a reality.

There has been an electrifying air of collaboration in our community, and it is so encouraging to see community leaders come together to meet the challenges we face.

Nationwide, we are experiencing a workforce challenge, and health care has been one of the industries to take the hardest hit. An aging population is creating an increasing demand for health care services, while retirements, burnout and a host of other factors are reducing the number of caregivers.

In times like these, it takes innovation, collaboration and strong leadership to solve what may seem like unsolvable problems.

The alliance is an unprecedented partnership between CoxHealth, Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical Community College and Springfield Public Schools. The leaders of these institutions recognize, that by working together, we can achieve more than any one of us can alone.

When the partnership is fully realized, the alliance will be the largest producer of health care professionals in the Midwest.

As part of the project, Cox College will be fully integrating into the alliance. And let me be clear, integration means evolution, not dissolution. Integration is Cox College evolving into an educational alliance that can provide even greater opportunities to the community than any individual member can do on its own. I am proud that Cox North will be the home for this pioneering institution and will continue to be a landmark associated with high-quality education.

Cox College has had an immeasurable impact on our community through the generations of health care professionals that have received their education there. Under Dr. Amy Wutke’s leadership, Cox College’s faculty and staff have done a phenomenal job of guiding and inspiring the dedicated health care experts we all depend on today.

I am grateful for the foundation they have laid, and I am excited to see how they will both catalyze and contribute to the future success of the alliance.

As I looked out at the crowd Tuesday morning, I could not be more proud of the way we come together as a community to work to meet the needs of our family, friends, and neighbors.

CoxHealth’s mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve. To do this, we are thrilled to work with our community to invest in our current and future professionals. I want to personally thank all of the leaders who have stepped forward to take on this challenge. That includes our own Andy Hedgpeth and members of the CoxHealth team who have helped bring the vision this far and are in the seat to drive its future success.

The alliance will engage students of all ages in the opportunity to pursue purposeful health care careers serving our region. As we help people reach the top of their potential, we will have done our part in serving those who come to us as students, and we all will benefit as a community and region.

‘Minutes With Max’ – Celebrating Ron Prenger’s legacy of service

It is rare to serve a single organization for nearly 46 years, but Ron Prenger is someone who holds that distinction. I recently had the chance to sit down with Ron, who serves as our Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Vice President, as he reflected on his time with CoxHealth.

Ron is someone who built a career by trying new things and taking on new challenges. “At every step I was able to take, I have never felt that I was anything different than a person helping someone else,” Ron says.

He has certainly been an inspiration for me in my career. As he heads into a retirement filled with more fishing and more farming, I am thankful to get to call him a colleague and a friend. You can see our full conversation at this link.

Salute to First Responders events serve nearly 500

We held our final Salute to First Responders event on Thursday at Cox North, celebrating first responders with a free lunch and prize drawings.

This year, we served 210 meals in Springfield, 75 in Barton County, 60 in Monett and 125 at Cox Branson. You can see photos of Thursday’s event at this link.

I want to thank our teams who make these events a success and, of course, all of the first responders who dedicate their careers to serving our communities!

Voice of the Patient

Adapted from patient feedback at Cox Springfield: “All of the staff members were great and made our time spent there much better.”

Thank you for all you do,

Max