CoxHealth named top 'Choice Employer'

For the third year in a row, CoxHealth has won recognition from the Springfield Business Journal as a “Choice Employer.” CoxHealth achieved top honors in the large employer category at the Nov. 14 recognition event. Employers are selected for this award by an independent review process which rates each company in the areas of incentives, family friendly, people development and corporate culture.

Two CoxHealth employees were also selected by the SBJ awards panel for individual recognition. Vicki Good, administrative director of Patient Safety was one of three people recognized by SBJ as "Employee of the Year." Eric Maxwell, director of compensation and HRIS was one of three people recognized as "Human Resources Professionals of the Year" at the Choice Employer event.

Wrap up your holiday shopping and give the gift of good health

Join the CoxHealth Foundation and CMN Hospitals of CoxHealth at the “Wrap it Up” special event benefiting the CoxHealth Dee Ann White Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Jared Neuroscience Center. 

This unique event features the tastes and sounds of the holiday season, plus interactive bidding on one-of-a-kind gifts such as a home visit from the Ocean Zen chef, a holiday weekend at Tablerock Lake, jewelry, home décor and much more. Bidding will take place electronically through BidPal, so you can track your bids on your smart phone or a provided device. 

“Wrap it Up” is presented by the Jared Neuroscience Center Physicians and will be held 6:30-9:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 5, at the Oasis Convention Center, 2546 N. Glenstone. Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased online at coxhealthcmn.com or coxhealthfoundation.com. For additional information call 269-7150.

The Dee Ann White Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the Jared Neuroscience Center will both be housed in the new $130 million patient tower currently under construction at Cox South. Once complete, the facilities will offer the most advanced neonatal, pediatric, maternal and neuroscience care in southwest Missouri.

Fajardo Family Crisis Fund

The tragic deaths of Rudy and Stephanie Fajardo have shocked us all. The legacy of this event is four children who have lost their parents. In order to support the Fajardo children, CoxHealth has created the Fajardo Family Crisis Fund. Your donations will go directly to assisting the Fajardo children with their education, health care and more, providing much needed support. To contribute, go to the Donate Now page on the CoxHealth Foundation website at this link. Choose Cause-Specific Funds and Cox Family Assistance Fund in the drop downs and donate in memory of the Fajardo family. 

Services for Rudy and Stephanie Fajardo
Visitation services for Rudy and Stephanie Fajardo will be held from 7- 8:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 15, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 2200 W. Republic Road in Springfield. A prayer service will begin at 8:30 p.m. Funeral services will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 10 a.m.

New tower construction: Tower crane 101

We’ve asked Lee Williams, our partner with CBRE, the company serving as CoxHealth’s program manager on the project, to give us his insights as the new tower at Cox South comes out of the ground.

Since the groundbreaking, we’ve anxiously been awaiting the arrival of our tower cranes to ease congestion on the construction site and give us access to the upper floors of the new patient tower as it comes out of the ground.  After countless hours of behind-the-scenes work and coordination between CoxHealth and our construction manager Beck/Killian, the day has finally come.

Due to the shape of the new tower, two tower cranes are needed to cover the entire construction site.  The larger of the two will be located on the south side of the jobsite, not too far from where the Turner Connector Corridor was located.  The smaller crane will be located near the northwest corner of the new tower.

Tower crane dimensions are typically given in terms of “hook height” and “hook reach” – how high and how far from its base the crane is capable of lifting a load.  The maximum weight the crane can support varies by how far out from the base the load must be supported – the further away, the less you can lift.  Most capacities are given in terms of how much the crane can lift at the tip of the boom.  Here are some stats for both cranes:

	South Crane	North Crane
Hook Height	225 feet	187 feet
Hook Reach	197 feet	148 feet
Capacity at Tip	10,100 lbs	15,700 lbs
Total Height	255 feet	220 feet

 In other words, the larger crane can pick up a load weighing as much as five Volkswagen Beetles, raise it to a height equal to a 12-story building, and put it back down anywhere within a 2.8 acre circle.  The smaller crane is capable of lifting eight Volkswagens 10 stories, and covers an area slightly larger than a football field.

Unfortunately, these tower cranes don’t erect themselves (although some do!).  To get our cranes in the air, Beck/Killian is working with a crane company headquartered here in Springfield to bring a 300-ton hydraulic crane on site.  This Grove 300 Ton crane is the largest mobile crane in southwest Missouri – requiring a fleet of five tractor trailers to transport all of its parts and pieces.  It takes nearly an entire working day just to set up the mobile crane required to erect the tower cranes.

CoxHealth has allowed Beck/Killian to temporarily close a portion of the parking lot near the construction trailers to stage the trucks bringing in pieces of the tower cranes.  We’re grateful for the patience of the folks who normally park in this area as we complete this operation over the next few days.

Bringing Halloween to the hospital

Staffers from Child Life and a variety of departments, including HR, Nursing Education, the Women's Center, Trauma Prevention, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and more, brought Halloween to the hospital on Tuesday with a party in Foster Auditorium. 

Hospitalized children in Pediatrics at Cox South enjoyed games, activities and candy and even got to meet celebrities like Winnie the Pooh and CMN's Miracle Mike!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poised for Branson’s future

In January, when CoxHealth and the then-Skaggs Regional Medical Center finalized the strategic partnership that had been a year in the making, the commitment included a promise to invest in the hospital to better serve the residents of Stone and Taney counties. While many investments and upgrades have occurred over the intervening months – from equipment purchases to building maintenance and physician recruitment – the most visible sign of progress is now underway.

In late September, leaders, employees and others gathered to help break ground on a 60,000 square foot construction and renovation project at the Branson hospital that, once complete, will provide patients and staff with access to a new Emergency Department, expanded CCU and more. 

“This project will help us meet the growing needs of those who need us,” says William Mahoney, CEO of Cox Medical Center Branson. “It’s a statement of stability and confidence in our community.” 

Crews will demolish the existing Medical Plaza Two building to make way for the new three floor, 42,000 square foot addition to the hospital, and renovate 18,000 square feet of space within the existing structure. Once complete, the construction will include, in addition to the Emergency Department and expanded intensive care area, a third floor of shell space to allow for future expansion.

The 31,000 square foot Emergency Department will include 32 private exam and treatment rooms as well as eight observation beds. It will also offer easy access to the existing imaging and laboratory departments at Cox Medical Center Branson. Built in 1992 and renovated in 2004, the current ED serves 37,000 patients every year. The new ED is being built with future growth in mind – providers will be able to care for 55,000-60,000 patients each year in this space – and improved flow will allow for quicker patient access to services. 

“Branson is a growing community and the number of patients we serve is also increasing,” Mahoney says. “The expansion of our ED and CCU will allow us to expedite the treatment of our patients and get them back to enjoying the many exciting amenities our community has to offer.” 

The expanded coronary care unit will be on the second floor of the new structure, and connect to the second floor of the current hospital. It will include 20 private patient rooms, plus a large, comfortable waiting area for families. The current ICU/CCU has 14 patient beds. 

As with all major recent construction and renovation projects at CoxHealth, leaders used evidence-based design to plan these new spaces with a focus on patient safety, and staff and patient well-being. Different user groups are consulted, and research examined, during the design process to ensure the final product meets everyone’s needs. 

Recent examples of projects completed using this process include the Meyer Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital, the Cox South ED and ICU expansion, the CoxHealth Surgery Center and the new Cox South patient tower that is currently under construction. The end result is a beautiful, functional, state-of-the-art space that allows for the best medical care in a “healing environment,” with natural light, soothing colors and other features that benefit patients and their families. 

The project has a $30.8 million price tag, financed in part by an April bond issuance – the same issuance funding the new tower construction at Cox South. At the time, leaders stated that even with the uncertainty facing the health care industry, building for expansion made sense, and that holds true today. 

“We know that as time goes by more patients will need our care, and we must be ready,” says Steve Edwards, CoxHealth president and CEO. “To meet that need, we must expand – and given the historically low interest rates at the time of our bond issuance, we knew there would likely never be another time when expansion would be so affordable.” 

In fact, an examination of the 30-year trend of interest rates shows that CoxHealth financed this project at a time when rates were near the lowest in history. “Rates have already increased 1.5 points since we issued our bonds,” Edwards says. “If we financed today, the bond issuance for our projects in Springfield and Branson would cost $42 million more due to the rate increase.” 

During construction, departments that were housed in the Medical Plaza Two building have been relocated and traffic flow around the campus has been altered. The overall project includes major changes to campus access and navigation – a loop road, similar to the road around Cox South – is being constructed that will better connect the campus and help patients and visitors more easily find their way. 

Altogether, these projects prepare Cox Medical Center Branson to meet the needs of the area, and they help CoxHealth fulfill its promise to the community. Mahoney says: “A few years ago, we were like many community hospitals, wondering what our next move should be so we could survive. Now the Branson community has confidence that we will have the resources we need to provide high-quality care, here at our local, full-service hospital.”

CoxHealth increases employee wellness efforts with renewed focus on employee tobacco use

For immediate release 
Sept. 27, 2013 

Joining a growing list of hospitals and health systems around the country, CoxHealth announced today it will become the first health system in the Ozarks to add nicotine screening to the list of tests potential employees must pass once an offer of employment has been made. 

The change, effective Thursday, Nov. 21, to coincide with the American Cancer Society’s annual Great American Smokeout event, is designed to further the organization’s efforts to provide a healthy, healing working environment. 

“Every year 443,000 Americans die due to smoking related illness,” said Steve Edwards, CoxHealth president and CEO. “We could no longer reconcile the fact that our mission is to improve the health of our community, and we were not taking an assertive stand against tobacco products.” 

In recent years the organization has taken several steps to help employees live healthier lives, from changing the menus in the cafeterias to offering walking clubs and a successful Wellness program. CoxHealth leaders say increasing their efforts to help employees stop using tobacco, and including nicotine testing as part of the organization’s required pre-employment testing, is the next logical step. 

Job applicants will be notified of the policy when they apply for a position. Those who do not pass the post-offer, pre-employment nicotine screening will be offered CoxHealth-sponsored tobacco cessation classes at no charge, and encouraged to reapply for employment with the organization once they have been tobacco-free for 90 days. 

“Tobacco is a deadly addictive poison that dismantles the lives of its victims and their families. We want our work force to be role models, to be leaders in a push inspiring our community to become a healthy place to live. We are taking a stand,” said Edwards. 

The hazards of tobacco use have been well-documented. Studies have shown that smoking reduces a woman’s life expectancy by 11 years and a man’s by 12, and costs companies more than $5800 a year per tobacco user in lost productivity, absenteeism and increased health plan expenses. With this policy change, CoxHealth joins Cleveland Clinic, Baylor Health Care System, the World Health Organization and more than 6,000 other organizations across the country who have made the decision to put health and wellness first. 

“Smoking is the worst self-inflicted damage a human being can do to themselves. As a cancer specialist, I see the devastating consequences of smoking on a daily basis, not only on the victims of this terrible habit but also their families and loved ones,” said Dr. Abe Abdalla, medical director of Oncology Services and Radiation Oncology for CoxHealth. “As health care providers we should lead by example. Our community expects us to take the lead on important issues like this one. I am very proud of CoxHealth for taking this crucial step and hope other health systems in the area – and in the entire country – follow suit.” 

Employees hired before Nov. 21, 2013, will be grandfathered in under the new policy, but are also encouraged to “kick the habit.” The organization will offer these employees and their health plan dependents free tobacco cessation classes, and waive the co-pay for Chantix, a prescription medication that helps individuals stop smoking. These resources will be available at no cost to current CoxHealth employees until Nov. 21. 

Said Edwards: “We are the only hospital in the state, to our knowledge, that will offer free smoking cessation to people who are offered a job and fail the tobacco screen, and then a chance to reapply in 90 days. We are resolute in fulfilling our mission.”

Breaking ground on Branson's next chapter

CoxHealth and community leaders joined employees on Wednesday at Cox Medical Center Branson to break ground on a 60,000 square foot construction and renovation project. Once complete, the project will provide patients and staff with access to a new Emergency Department, expanded CCU and more.

“This will help us meet the growing needs of those who need us,” says William Mahoney, CEO of Cox Medical Center Branson. “It’s a statement of stability and confidence in our community.”

Crews will demolish the existing Medical Plaza Two building to make way for the new three floor, 42,000 square foot addition to the hospital, and renovate 18,000 square feet of space within the existing structure. Once complete, the construction will include, in addition to the Emergency Department and expanded intensive care area, a third floor of shell space to allow for future expansion.

The 31,000 square foot Emergency Department will include 32 private exam and treatment rooms as well as eight observation beds. It will also offer easy access to the existing imaging and laboratory departments at Cox Medical Center Branson.

Cox College names new president

For immediate release 
Sept. 13, 2013 

Today, Cox College announced that Dr. Lance Ratcliff has been named as the next president of the college. 

Dr. Ratcliff has served as interim president since Aug. 1, following the retirement of Dr. Anne Brett. He joined Cox College as vice president of Academic Affairs earlier this year, after previously serving as dean of Business and Science at Eastern New Mexico University - Roswell, and as chair of the University of Central Missouri’s Department of Nutrition. 

“We conducted a national search for this position, and considered candidates from throughout the region. After extensive interviews, Dr. Ratcliff emerged as the clear and overwhelming choice. The Cox College board of directors unanimously approved his appointment as president,” said Dr. John Duff, CoxHealth senior vice president and chief hospital officer. 

Dr. Ratcliff attended Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wis., graduating with degrees in biology and chemistry. He earned his MS and PhD in Nutrition and Food Science at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., completed a dietetic internship at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is a registered dietitian. 

About Cox College: Cox College is a single purpose college, affiliated with CoxHealth in Springfield, Mo. More than 800 students are enrolled in the college’s undergraduate and graduate nursing and health science programs.

Survivor's saga reveals hope in dark times

Suzy Farbman has had her share of trials in life.

She first gained national recognition when she appeared on “Oprah” to talk about her first book, “Back From Betrayal.” The book was a deeply personal story of how she and her husband had struggled to save their marriage after Suzy learned of his infidelity. Writing helped her sort her thoughts as she struggled to cope with a situation no one could be prepared for. She hoped her words could provide comfort to others.

Her marriage was renewed and she was enjoying the success of her book in the summer of 2004, when a twinge of pain sent her to her doctor. A series of tests revealed her next trial: uterine cancer so advanced it had spread to her bones.

She spent the next year undergoing the full range of treatment – surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. To cope with the stress, she asked her husband to keep track of the medical details with her physicians and caregivers. Meanwhile, she focused on her spiritual health.

She prayed. She read religious texts. She wrote in her own journal. As she faced an uncertain future and fear of the unknown, her efforts to “live in the moment” made her more sensitive to the details of her everyday life. She began to see things she would have dismissed in the past – from people she met to pieces of good fortune – not as coincidences, but as signs.

“I experienced a series of miracles and it felt like God cheering me on,” she says. She dubbed those miracles, large and small, “Godsigns,” and they became the basis of her second book, released in the fall of 2012. Now, she’s nine years out from her diagnosis and she’s made it her mission to share what she’s learned from the experience.

In October, Suzy will join us for a series of presentations during Customer Service Week. We were able to catch up with her to get a preview of her inspirational message.

Q: What is it like to share the very personal story of your battle with cancer with new audiences? 

A: It’s been rewarding to see the responses I get. People have their own interpretation and their own needs and they see it as a story of surviving challenges. It’s really rewarding to see them “get it” and to see heads nodding. If I’ve had a chance to interact with the audience beforehand and know there are some survivors and patients there, it’s great to give a voice to their concerns.

Q: What has this experience taught you about the mindset one needs to endure tough times? 

A: A cancer patient has little control. Cancer takes over everything: your schedule, your plans, your hopes for the future. I knew the one area I could have influence over was to pursue spiritual strength and encouragement. I had prayed years before, during my mom’s health problems. I prayed for half an hour one night. I felt physically lighter the next morning. I learned the value and possibility of turning things over to a higher power.

Q: What lessons do you hope people take away from your presentation?

A: First, trust the universe. Second, be willing to turn it over. Be open to whatever possibilities are out there. Trust in the outcome, some things are meant to happen. Finally, be more in the moment. Don’t spin out with fear of the future. You may tend to focus on big, global fears, but do what you can to focus on the moment. Think about, right this minute, how do you feel? That makes it easier to get through a medical crisis.

Q: What can those of us who work in health care learn from your experience?

A: Patients are people, too. Show your patients that you’re a person and you value them as a person as well. The care I’ve had has been amazing. As brutal as what they did to me was, my doctors and nurses were heroes to me. In chemotherapy, the staff members were always gentle and upbeat.

It’s very important that doctors and nurses take time to tell you what they’re going to do. If there’s going to be pain, they should acknowledge it. Those few extra seconds explaining things make a huge difference.

Q: How has writing helped you during this experience?

A: I’ve journaled my whole life, but much more often in tough times than in good times. As a patient, you have fears, but you don’t want to drag everyone through that. The journal is an objective friend that accepts what I say, period. I recommend it for everyone. If you never look back and read it, fine. But you may say, “Look at what I worried about and it didn’t happen.”

Q: How can people be better at seeing signs in their own lives?

A: Stop and notice when you feel a jolt, a surprise or a “wow.” Be open to it. Think about “can I construct a story around this?” Take the time to think about it, appreciate it and write to Suzy Farbman about it! (Suzy is currently working on a follow-up book compiling the Godsigns stories people share with her). Pay attention. When you’re more vulnerable, you’re more open to that kind of support. Before this experience, I had no idea the universe can be as talented as it is.

Meet the author 
Suzy Farbman will be speaking to CoxHealth employees at Cox South (Oct. 8), Branson and Monett (both on Oct. 9) as part of Customer Service Week. She will also appear at a public event Thursday evening:

When: Thursday, October 10, at 6 p.m. 

Where: Magnolia Room, 4th Floor, Hulston Cancer Center 

This program is open to anyone in the public. The first 50 registrants will receive a free copy of "Godsigns," courtesy of GYN Cancers Alliance and CoxHealth. Heavy appetizers will be served. No fee, but please register by calling 269-5224.