Steve Edwards named CFO's 2020 Humanitarian Award recipient

Community Foundation of the Ozarks has named Steve Edwards, President and CEO of CoxHealth, as the 2020 Humanitarian Award recipient. The award recognizes his leadership and advocacy on behalf of southwest Missourians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Edwards has shown forthrightness and compassion in informing the community, advocating for best practices to protect the region and personally seeding a philanthropic fund to support employees affected by the virus — all while leading the CoxHealth staff in adding and repurposing facilities and securing equipment and supplies to respond to the pandemic,” CFO said in a news release.

The 35th person to receive the award over 31 years, Edwards was nominated by Morey Mechlin, an active civic volunteer and retired Executive Director of Care to Learn.

"During the most uncertain time in our lives, Steve Edwards has exhibited all of the qualities that make him the Humanitarian of the Year," Mechlin said. "While Steve has always been recognized as a leader in the health community, he used his position, education, business acumen and personal contacts — at great personal and professional risk — to lead our community through the COVID-19 crisis."

See full details of the award on CFO’s site.

CoxHealth Marketing wins national awards for ‘Hello, Convenience’ radio ads

CoxHealth's Marketing team was recently recognized with top national awards for our "Hello, Convenience" radio advertising campaign.

The campaign was honored as "Best of Show" and as a Gold Winner in radio Advertising" in the 2020 Healthcare Advertising Awards.

The 37^th annual Healthcare Advertising Awards, sponsored by Healthcare Marketing Report, are judged by a national panel of industry specialists on creativity, marketing execution and message impact.

CoxHealth earns 'Most Wired' honors

CoxHealth has been recognized as a 2020 Healthcare's Most Wired hospital by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). CoxHealth achieved Digital Health Certified Acute and Ambulatory Level 8 (out of 10), which means the health system received the Quality Award.

"This award means a great deal to CoxHealth. It represents a significant amount of collaboration between IT and many departments across the health system working toward implementing innovative IT solutions to support improved patient care," says Cheryl Hertel, vice president and Chief Information Officer at CoxHealth. "This year, more than ever before, connectivity and technology have been crucial to the service and support of our staff and patients, and we are very proud to be part of this journey."

The CHIME Digital Health Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively healthcare organizations apply core and advanced technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities. Every participant has been certified at a level ranging from 1 to 10 that represents their respective achievements, allowing organizations to clearly benchmark against a defined worldwide industry standard.

As in past years, CHIME will publish an industry trends report based on Digital Health Most Wired responses from U.S. participants. The 2020 National Trends Report is scheduled to be released in November during CHIME20 Digital.

CoxHealth recognized by Forbes as a 'best employer'

For the second year in a row, Forbes has recognized CoxHealth as one of America's Best Employers.

According to the Best Employers by State 2020 survey, CoxHealth made the prestigious list of best employers in the United States, and is the highest ranked Springfield-based employer and ranked high in Missouri.

In July, CoxHealth was named as a 2020-2021 Best Regional Hospital in southwest Missouri and ranked ninth in Missouri in this year's Best Hospitals ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

CoxHealth physician, employees recognized as Health Care Champions

The Springfield Business Journal recently presented its annual Health Care Champions, featuring several of our CoxHealth colleagues:

Dr. Kayce Morton, pediatric hospitalist, was recognized as a Top Doctor; Tessie Bowmaker, nurse manager of Neuro Trauma ICU; Rachel Kutscher, nurse manager of Medical ICU and Coronary Care Unit; and Amber Peters, assistant professor at Cox College, were all recognized for their nursing roles.

Clark Chaffin receives Distinguished Service Award

Clark Chaffin, System Director-Coding and Health Information Management, recently received the 2020 Distinguished Service Award from the Missouri Health Information Management Association.

Dr. Tessa Woods earns certification as a wound specialist

Dr. Tessa Woods recently obtained her certification as a Wound Specialist - Physician (CWSP) through the American Board of Wound Management.

In addition to her trauma/general surgery practice, Dr. Woods is the medical director for the Inpatient Skin/Wound/Ostomy Department at Cox South.

Martin Center recognized as a Screening Center of Excellence

CoxHealth's Martin Center has been recognized as a Screening Center of Excellence by the GO₂ Foundation for Lung Cancer for their ongoing commitment to responsible lung cancer screening. The designation includes our radiology program's satellite location at Cox Medical Center Branson.

Low-dose CT screening for lung cancer can save lives by finding lung cancer early, when it is most treatable and even curable.

Awards and Achievements for October 2020