Direct Line from Steve Edwards: 6/4/21

June 4, 2021

COVID-19 update

This week brought an update we did not want, but were not surprised to see: The Delta variant, first identified in India, has been found in the Ozarks. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department shared on Tuesday that three cases caused by the variant have been found in Greene County. This news comes alongside increasing hospitalizations, particularly in younger people. Of our 36 patients, nearly half of them are under age 60. While we don’t know for sure that the variant is the reason – we don’t usually know which version of the virus causes cases – we do see these changes happening in parallel.

Please vaccinate. Data is still emerging, but current evidence doesn’t say vaccines will not protect against variants of concern. To schedule a vaccine, please call 417-269-INFO.

New leaders

The start of the month brought a new chapter for two CoxHealth leaders. On June 1, Brock Shamel was promoted from administrative director to vice president of Cox Medical Group, and Max Buetow officially began as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, through which he will lead our Hospital Services line. To learn more about Max’s journey and why he chooses to serve in health care, click here.

We are very excited to have these individuals in new leadership roles, as they both have demonstrated great ability through their years with us. Their new roles come alongside that of Dr. Shawn Usery, who was recently promoted to Chief Medical Officer.

Center for Addictions expansion

After nearly 40 years of serving patients in Springfield, our Center for Addictions is expanding by adding a second location in Branson. Starting June 11, the additional location will offer medication management for substance use disorders, including services for patients who also need chronic pain management. There are plans, however, to expand services as demand increases.

Telestroke with Citizens Memorial Hospital

This week, we announced Telestroke, a new partnership with Citizens Memorial Hospital. Through the collaboration, patients who arrive at the Bolivar hospital with a suspected stroke will be virtually connected to the Stroke team at Cox South, which allows care to begin within minutes. We believe this program will ultimately save lives, and allow patients to have even greater recovery.

Volunteers return

After more than a year away, we were so happy to see the first of our CoxHealth Volunteers return to campus on Tuesday. These people are incredibly important to us, and we have missed them very much. Right now, they are only serving in non-patient-facing areas, but we will gradually bring back even more of them when we believe it is safe to do so.

Voice of the Patient

From a patient at Cox South: “Throughout my stay and in each department, I was blown away by the attentive, personal, empathetic, quality of care I received shift after shift and day after day. I'll actually miss many of my care givers in the future.”

Thank you for all you do,
Steve