CoxHealth is a five-hospital, 860 bed health system headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. It serves a 25 county region of Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas. CoxHealth is one of Springfield's largest employers, with more than 10,000 people employed throughout the system.
History
CoxHealth started on Thanksgiving Day, in 1906, when Ellen Burge, the widow of a prominent Springfield lawyer, donated her frame duplex on Jefferson Avenue to be used as a Methodist hospital. It was named Burge Deaconess Hospital in her honor. The Burge Hospital grew due to the great need for expert healthcare in Southwest Missouri. In the late 1940s, a Springfield business man, Lester E. Cox, led a series of capital campaigns for a hospital expansion. He was very involved with the hospital's success. In 1968 Mr. Cox died, and the hospital changed its name from Burge-Protestant Hospital to Lester E. Cox Medical Center in his honor. The hospital continued to grow and prosper thanks, in part, to many great leaders in the organization. In 1993, Lester E. Cox Medical Centers became CoxHealth. New technology advancements, along with new medical services, are continually brought to Southwest Missouri thanks to CoxHealth. The hospital continues “to be the best for those who need us.â€
Facilities
Cox South
Cox South is the largest facility and main campus operated by CoxHealth. Construction started in 1981, and the ten story Cox South hospital was completed in 1985. The full-service hospital features 563 beds and houses the main service lines of the system. The Hulston Cancer Center and Wheeler Heart and Vascular Center are connected to the main Cox South hospital via the "Skywalk" enclosed walkway over National Avenue. The Turner Center is a women and children specialty center connected to Cox South.
In 2010, Cox South opened a new emergency department, and in 2012, it was designated a Level I Trauma Center. CoxHealth has over 160,000 emergency, urgent care, and trauma visits each year. In June 2007, CoxHealth purchased a new MD Helicopters MD Explorer 902 for $5.1 million. The new helicopter replaces the smaller 1989 Messerschmitt MBB Bo 105LS air ambulance. The new helicopter has a top speed of 160 m.p.h. and includes a quieter design and improved safety because of the lack of a tail rotor. Cox Air Care was one of the first, in the state of Missouri, to fly with night vision goggles and the only one in the state to fly with blood on board.
The Martin Center is a free standing diagnostic and imaging center. The four story facility houses MRI, CT, heart and lung CT, mammogram, ultrasound, nuclear medicine and PET imaging, X-Ray, and bone density scanning equipment all under one roof.
Burrell Behavioral Health, with CoxHealth, supplies outpatient child and adult mental health services. They are located on the Cox South Campus next to Burrell Park.
A Ronald McDonald House is located on the Cox South campus to provide a low cost and friendly living area for those with children in the hospital.
Cox North
Cox North is the site of the original Burge Hospital, which opened in 1906 and eventually became CoxHealth. Cox North currently features 72 beds. An emergency room and CoxHealth's inpatient behavioral health units are housed at Cox North.
Meyer Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital
Meyer Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital is located just north of the main Cox South campus, and is a specifically designed orthopedic specialty hospital to house all of CoxHealth’s orthopedic procedures. The new hospital features 35 private orthopedic patient rooms, 15 in-patient rehabilitation rooms, and 35 transitional care rooms. All operating rooms will be constructed to orthopedic-specific specifications.
Cox Medical Center Branson
In 2012, Skaggs Regional Medical Center in Branson became a subsidiary of CoxHealth and was renamed Cox Medical Center Branson. Under the agreement, a member substitution model, Skaggs continues to maintain its own hospital board. As the parent company, CoxHealth assumes the responsibilities previously held by the Skaggs Board of Trustees, and Cox Medical Center Branson and CoxHealth will have representation on each other’s boards.
Skaggs first began a search for a strategic partner by issuing a Request for Proposals in January 2012. The field was narrowed to two potential partners and in June, Skaggs signed a letter of intent with CoxHealth. In September 2012, the Skaggs Board of Directors recommended the Skaggs Board of Trustees approve the partnership, and the board of trustees voted 98-0 in favor of the arrangement. The deal closed Dec. 31, 2012.
Cox Health Plans
Cox Health Plans is an affiliate of CoxHealth that provides insurance solutions for nearly 45,000 members across Missouri and throughout the nation. Starting in 1995, Cox HealthPlans is composed of teams in Medical Management, Claims Processing, Member Services, Finance, Underwriting, Information Technology, and Marketing. The Institute for Health and Productivity Management (IHPM) announced, in February 2010, that Cox HealthPlans was selected to receive a 2009 Value-Based Health Award for small employer. Cox HealthPlans was recognized for demonstrating leadership and innovation in value health management, in support with work done with the employers of Southwest Area Manufacturers Association health benefit design. Cox HealthPlans received the 2011 Trizetto IHM Power Award in the category of Operational Excellence.
Meyer Center for Wellness and Rehabilitation
The Meyer Center for Wellness and Rehabilitation is a medical facility that directly connected to the Meyer Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital. The Meyer Center offers a work-out facility, pools, and a gym to patients and to the public.
Bone and Joint Center
The Bone and Joint Center is connected to the Meyer Center via an overhead enclosed walkway. This center offers sports medicine services, medical offices and imaging services.
CoxHealth Surgery Center
The CoxHealth Surgery Center is dedicated to non-orthopedic surgeries. The two story facility is also the main location for ear, nose, and throat procedures.
Cox Monett
Cox Monett is a community hospital in Monett, Missouri. Cox Monett features 25 beds and serves the counties to the southwest of Springfield.
Other facilities
CoxHealth operates a number of clinics and facilities throughout southwest Missouri. CoxHealth also operates "The Clinic at Walmart" clinics which offer fast, affordable access to basic health care services with upfront pricing. "The Clinic at Walmart" can be found at many local Walmart stores.
Community impact
CoxHealth provides over $100,000,000 of charity care to the community per year for uncompensated medical care.
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals of CoxHealth is a non-profit organization that raises and provides resources to assist in the medical care of children under the age of 18. Over a million dollars is raised with the partnering of KYTV (KY3) for donations to the Children's Miracle Network program.
Notes
External links
- Official website
