Meet NFL players, help local kids

An upcoming autograph session with the NFL's Lorenzo Williams (seen above with his family in the Pediatrics unit at Cox South) will benefit Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The event is part of the third annual Lorenzo Williams and Friends Charity Weekend, which includes a benefit golf tournament and a football camp.

This autograph event will be held 7:30 p.m., Saturday, July 9, at Big Whiskey’s American Bar & Grill at 311 Park Central East in downtown Springfield.

Several former Missouri Tigers currently playing in the NFL are scheduled to be in attendance. They include: Jeremy Maclin (Philadelphia Eagles), Blaine Gabbert (Jacksonville Jaguars), Brad Smith (New York Jets), Sean Weatherspoon (Atlanta Falcons), Aldon Smith (San Francisco 49ers), Martin Rucker (Dallas Cowboys), William Moore (Atlanta Falcons), Danario Alexander (St. Louis Rams), Chase Daniel (New Orleans Saints), Atyyiah Ellison (New England Patriots), CJ Mosely (Jacksonville Jaguars) and others.

Admission to the autograph session is $25 per person. Or, take advantage of the Big Whiskey’s Special for $10 per person with a Big Whiskey’s food/drink receipt dated June 24-July 7, 2011 (minimum $10 receipt). Each paid admission allows for up to two individual items autographed (no limit to number of autographs per item).

For more information, contact Kelly Anderson at 417/269-1830 or Brian Cheever at 417/861-2860. All proceeds will benefit CoxHealth Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. (Player appearances subject to change without notice.)

More information can be found here.

Physicians win Docs vs. Nurses softball game

The physicians' team at CoxHealth was victorious in the second annual Doctors vs. Nurses softball game held Sunday night at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.

The doctors won by a score of 7-5, making next year's game a tie-breaker in the series.

The annual community event raises money for the Nursing Practice & Excellence Fund managed by the CoxHealth Foundation. The fund assists nurses with professional growth activities that are not covered by tuition reimbursement (such as conferences, reference books, journal subscriptions, etc). When the Fund reaches $10,000.00, plans include awarding scholarships for nursing.

Messages of support for Joplin

On a recent post on our internal blog, we asked CoxHealth staff members to share their thoughts and messages of support for the Joplin community after the May 22 tornado. We received an incredible response and many of the messages will appear in the summer edition of HealthSense magazine. We wanted to include a few more here and encourage all of our readers to share their own thoughts on the CoxHealth Facebook page.

“Please know there are many praying and thinking of you all! Missourians are tough - but when you feel weak there will always be those to lean on. God says in his word to lean and trust in him. Proverbs 3:5-6: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path.’ God Bless!” — Michelle

“I just want to say you all are my heroes who have stood strong and made it through the storm. You are all amazing; my thoughts and prayers are with you.” — Jodi

“Just know words cannot express what our hearts feel for you and your situation. Just know many people are trying to care for you now when you are hurting the most through donations of time, money and prayers. We will keep helping until you have recovered. There are those of us far away who are caring for your injured. Try to stay positive and find simple joys each day. You will recover. With love and prayers for you and your community.” — Elena

“My thoughts and prayers are with as you go through this very hard time. May God grant you comfort, patience and wisdom in the days ahead.” — Joyce

“Joplin is one of the best places in the world. Although I only lived in Joplin for four years, I could feel the closeness and bond that the people of the community have. People in Joplin will do anything for you. … I have had much faith in our fellow human beings by the outpouring of help, love, and support for the area. It is truly amazing to see people from all over the country going to help our neighbors in Joplin.” — Jennell

“‘If you are going through hell, keep going.’" — Churchill. It’s one of my favorite quotes and it describes what Joplin is faced with right now. Please know across Missouri we will be holding you up in our hearts. I hope you find all the support you need as you work through this terrible challenge and rebuild.” — Carla

“I was so impressed with what I saw when I went to Joplin last Saturday. I expected to see misery and sorrow but what I saw was multitudes of people who gathered together to help their fellow man. Hundreds of people providing comfort and support to the Joplin people by cutting trees and carrying limbs to the curb. They were there helping people sorting through what was left of their lives. There were people driving around passing out food and cold water to the workers as well as the Joplin citizens. There were many food stations on corners cooking food and handing on sodas and water to anyone there. God was truly there in the faces and the attitude of all that I spoke with. Joplin, you will survive in the face of this tragedy as I only saw strength in all that you were going through.” — Pam

Fifth Clinic at Walmart to open June 13

Walmart and CoxHealth today announced the Ozarks’ newest location of “The Clinic at Walmart” operated by CoxHealth. This convenient care clinic will open Monday, June 13, inside the Walmart located at 2825 N. Kansas Expressway in Springfield.

The clinic will provide convenient, affordable access to basic health care services seven days a week, with no appointment necessary. The walk-in health clinic is the fifth owned and operated by CoxHealth in a Walmart. The clinic will be open for walk-in care Monday through Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

For busy customers who need care, especially after working hours or on weekends, the clinic will treat common health ailments and offer routine services. These include acne, bladder infections, blood sugar testing, camp and school physicals, cholesterol screening, common vaccinations, earaches, flu, insect bites and stings, minor wounds, sinus infections, upper respiratory infections, wart removal and more.

“We know that seven-day-a-week walk-in clinics fill a community need for convenient and affordable care. That’s why we’re working with Walmart to expand access to that kind of quality care for all residents in our area,” said David Taylor, vice president of CoxHealth Regional Services.

“Walmart is dedicated to serving our customers and our communities, and this type of clinic helps expand their access to quality health care,” said Bruce Shepard, Walmart’s director of healthcare innovations. “CoxHealth is a highly respected health care provider with experience operating walk-in clinics in our stores, so we know this will serve our customers well.”

For further information about “The Clinic at Walmart”, please visit www.walmart.com/clinics. For more information about CoxHealth, please visit www.coxhealth.com.

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Telethon raises $1.4 million for area children

The 26th annual Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Telethon raised $1,403,000 to benefit local sick and injured children thanks to the outpouring of generosity from people in the community, despite difficult financial times.

“We could not have asked for a better event,” says Heather Zoromski, director of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at CoxHealth. “We could not continue to help families across the Ozarks without the donors, sponsors, volunteers and help from CoxHealth.”

Zoromski acknowledged the generosity of a few sponsors including the following: Sensory Integrations, Downhome Productions, Re/Max, Great Southern, Credit Unions for Kids, Price Cutter Charity Championship, CoxHealth, MSU Dance Bear-A-Thon, Mason’s, Dairy Queen, Kum & Go, KY3 and Walmart.

KY3 televised the event live beginning June 4 and ending at 5 p.m., Sunday, June 5, making it possible for the children’s charity to share “Miracle Kid” stories with the communities served by CMN Hospitals and CoxHealth.

About CMN Hospitals: Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of CoxHealth is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to sick and injured children in the Ozarks. CoxHealth underwrites all administrative expenses of the charity locally, so that every dollar raised stays in our community and helps children. For more information on Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals or to donate, visit www.coxhealth.com/cmn.

'Miracle Kids' take part in Medical Mile

This year’s Medical Mile was a special event for two local kids who have been a part of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals family for much of their young lives.

Danielle Roeder, 12, and 7-year-old Blake Shanks both participated in the event, something that would have seemed impossible only a few years ago.

Danielle (center, in pink above) had been in a wheelchair, diagnosed with L-Dopa Responsive Dystonia. Doctors were hoping she might walk again someday, but there were no guarantees. With medication, a hip surgery and years of physical therapy, Danielle can now walk and run.

Despite battling the flu Saturday morning, she was determined to press on alongside her dad, Greg, several friends from school and many of her dad’s co-workers from the Springfield Police Department.

“I’m excited — it’s my first race,” she says. “Without CMN I probably wouldn’t be here.”


On Saturday, Blake Shanks made a return appearance in the event, running with his parents and younger sister.

“He’s been here year after year running the mile with a smile on his face,” his mom, Amanda, says.

When Blake was born, doctors thought a heart defect would prevent him from ever playing sports. As he’s grown and received medical care, he has turned into a budding athlete, playing basketball and baseball.

“He has defeated all the odds and he surprises his doctors every time we see them,” Amanda says.

For both families, support from CMN Hospitals has been key – helping with bills, travel expenses and serving as a local resource the young families could turn to.

“They’ve helped us with so much, it’s important for us to give back,” Danielle’s mom, Suzanne, says. “They do such great work for kids.”

“You never think you’ll need help from a charity,” Amanda says. “Now the staff at CMN are an extended family to all of us. We’re good friends with everyone who works there; I love all of them.”