Direct Line from Max Buetow for 8/12/22

Aug. 12, 2022

Ozark School District partnership helps us grow our future workforce

As we plan for CoxHealth’s future, we know that growing and maintaining our workforce is a top priority. Our people are the core of what we do, and we are pursuing a number of innovative ways to make sure we have talented team members to care for our communities. That includes investing in the early success of students who are interested in health care.

This week, we announced a new partnership with the Ozark School District on a health sciences academy, which is part of Ozark High School’s new Ozark Innovation Center.

We are proud to be a premier sponsor of the academy, which will offer high school students introductory training to health care careers. So far, more than 200 students have indicated interest in the program.

The academy offers a state-of-the-art simulation training environment, with clinic exam rooms, a surgical theater, pharmacy, medical laboratory, radiology, an ambulance and more. We partnered with vendors to supply medical equipment and CoxHealth is also funding a full-time academic educator who will lead health care instruction at the academy.

We have been fortunate to have the partnership of Dr. Chris Bauman, Ozark’s superintendent. Dr. Bauman is a strong advocate for new, creative avenues of education, and he is a great partner for CoxHealth.

The project has been a long-term effort championed by Andy Hedgpeth, our vice president of Human Resources.

Andy is committed to the project as a way to accelerate students entering the workforce and better equip them to succeed upon arrival.

“This is a huge opportunity to engage with talented kids and prepare them for meaningful careers in the near future providing health care for our region,” he says. “When they graduate, they will be able to move into career-ready programs, like those at Cox College, OTC and Missouri State University.”

I couldn’t agree more and I am so glad to see this plan come to fruition. Partnerships like these make the most of our community resources, and they are key to preparing for our future.

Leadership announcements

This week, we announced two promotions from within to lead our finance teams at CoxHealth.

John Chastain will take on the role of Vice President of Finance and Revenue Cycle for the system. Deanna Maples will further her work under the new title of Vice President of Accounting and Controller. Deanna and John are highly capable leaders with genuine passion for CoxHealth, and I am excited to see them excel in their new roles.

In addition, we have created the new position of Community Hospital Group (CHG) Vice President of Finance to focus on leadership finance duties across CHG. The new role will be primarily based in Branson. Our leadership team is confident that the best person for the role is already in our system. We have opened the applications to internal candidates and I am looking forward to seeing our candidates!

Meet Cox Monett President Andrea McKay

Cox Monett President Andrea McKay recently celebrated her two-month anniversary with our CoxHealth leadership team. To mark the occasion, the Cox Monett Facebook page shared a Q&A to give us all a chance to get to know Andrea better outside of her role. The Easy Bake Oven pastry chef and Seinfeld enthusiast has already made a positive impact in Monett, and you can read her full Q&A on Monett’s Facebook page at this link.

August charity of the month: Ronald McDonald House

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks is CoxHealth’s August charity of the month. Ronald McDonald House provides a valuable resource and a “home away from home” for families with children being treated in our hospitals.

Our employee store is offering pre-made care packages with items from the house’s wish list for employees to easily participate. To donate items, you can visit this link to view their wish list or view their Amazon wish list here. If you would like to donate, you can drop off items at the Ronald McDonald House, located at 949 E. Primrose St. in Springfield.

Voice of the Patient

Adapted from patient feedback at Cox Barton County Emergency Department: “I’ve said it before, but the registration department and the nurses are great. It felt like they truly understood our concerns as parents.”

Thank you for all you do,

Max