CoxHealth

Recently, nurses from across our system were invited to Finley Farms for an evening of recognition and celebration for their professional accomplishments. At the event, we were honored to recognize many of these nurses, including Megan Thimmesch, maternal child educator in pediatrics and nursing education at Cox South. Megan was awarded the Clinical Nurse Excellence Silver Award for her dedication and passion for nursing, caring for both her colleagues and patients. Read her nomination below: “Megan has been a nurse for over fifteen years and puts her heart and soul into being the best pediatrics/pediatric intensive care unit nurse possible. She is the pediatrics/PICU’s educator and also precepts on the unit. Due to our patient population, there is a high bar set to become a preceptor. Megan not only contributes to the criteria, but far exceeds it. She is so patient, kind and professional. I've never seen her get worked up or frazzled on the job. Her compassion is unparalleled. All of Megan’s wonderful qualities translate flawlessly into her work. It surprised no one that one time after her shift she went directly to the store to purchase a pair of shoes for a teenage patient that didn’t have any, then came right back to work to gift them to her patient. Megan also spends her free time researching the latest best practices to ensure we are giving the most up-to-date, quality care. We all believe she is just about the most knowledgeable nurse out there. In addition to teaching policies and nursing skills, she also teaches good work ethic, accountability and helpfulness by example. She is a dream!”

Working in health care and knowing you’ve made a positive impact on a patient and their family is an unparalleled feeling. In the Women and Newborns unit, Glenda Headlee had the opportunity to impact countless patients and their children, even caring for generations of new mothers within the same families. Now, after 41 years, Glenda is retiring from her role as nurse manager of Women and Newborns – a role she has held for 20 years of her career. Glenda began her career at CoxHealth in the Orthopedics Department as a nursing assistant. There, the nurses she worked with quickly piqued her interest in nursing school. The department she was interested in, however, was inspired by another group: the nurses in Women and Newborns that cared for her and her daughters after she gave birth. “There’s a deep connection and intimacy that happens with a nurse and new mother,” says Glenda. “It takes a lot of trust. The time the nurses spent with me as a new mom, helping me and explaining everything to me, saying ‘That’s okay and normal’ - it was inspiring.” Soon after, she joined Burge School of Nursing to pursue what would be a lifelong career in nursing. Following graduation, Glenda was hired as a staff nurse in the newborn nursery at Cox North. Over the next four decades, Glenda remained dedicated to the Women and Newborns department through its moves from Cox North to Cox South and eventually to the West Tower of Cox South. Throughout her tenure, Glenda held various roles, advancing her career from a nursing assistant to staff nurse, charge nurse, assistant nurse manager and finally nurse manager in 2004. “I've hired nurses that I have taken care of. Some of them have even brought me pictures and said ‘Look, that’s you with my mom when I was born!’,” says Glenda. “That feeling it gives you - it can’t be replicated.” Since the beginning of her career, Glenda has seen our organization grow from several hundred colleagues to almost 14,000. “We still have administrators that round. We still greet each other in the hall. When I come in in the mornings, we all speak to each other and say have a great day,” says Glenda. “We’ve grown so much, and CoxHealth still takes good care of its employees. I’ve had nothing but good things to say and the opportunities that were given to me – I’m not sure that I would’ve found that in a lot of places.” Following retirement, Glenda plans to spend time with her daughters and grandkids, traveling and volunteering in the community. “It’s been very bittersweet. I’m excited, but you hate to leave the people who have become such a big part of your life,” says Glenda. “We’ve got great young leaders coming up with enthusiasm and bright, great ideas – it's time to turn it over to the younger people.” Please join us in congratulating Glenda on her retirement! The impact you have had on our patients and community is immeasurable – thank you for your lifelong dedication to the health care field!

We’re taking home the GOLD 🥇! Not from the world games coming up, but from something even better – the Gold award from Mission Lifeline® EMS! What does that mean for patients? It means that CoxHealth EMS met the highest standards of excellence in heart attack (STEMI, which is the most severe type of heart attack) and stroke care, which is an incredible achievement! Prehospital personnel are the first care providers to patients suffering from acute emergencies, and their role in the care system for these patients is crucial and often sets the course for the patient’s outcome. “Our EMS team across the system works extremely hard to provide high-quality care to our patients – from extensive training to dedicated service – and to say I’m proud of them for this achievement is an understatement,” says Dr. Matthew Brandt, EMS Medical Director. “This recognition truly is a collaborative effort between Prehospital Services and our Emergency Department teams, and we’re honored to work with them.” In the future, if you are in need of care related to a heart attack or stroke, you can be reassured that the care you receive from CoxHealth EMS meets the highest national standard – and that reassurance is worth its weight in gold. Congratulations to our EMS team on this award!

Recently, we were honored to recognize members of various teams with a group DAISY award – an award that recognizes a collaborative group that demonstrates how improving patient and family outcomes often begins with an individual's idea but requires the collective effort of a team for successful implementation. Back in March, we shared a story of a patient in their final days, and how during this time, they were having conversations with their family and their Christian church about God, their life and life after death. In these discussions, the patient expressed their desire to be baptized before they passed. Thanks to the work of many teams, including Nursing, Corporate Compliance, EVS, Pastoral Care, CoxHealth Fitness Centers, EMS, and more, this patient was baptized within 24 hours of their initial request. This group’s (and a few more who aren’t pictured) work in going the extra mile to meet the spiritual needs of this patient is not only exactly what a group DAISY award is intended to recognize, but also the perfect representation of our vision, to be the best for those who need us. To read more about this patient’s story, visit this link: https://lnkd.in/gZXQsfMF

Preparing for your final semester of nursing school? Cross "job search" off your to-do list and apply today for CoxHealth's nationally accredited Graduate Nurse Residency Program. Applications are open for the January 2025 cohort. Learn more about the program and apply here: https://lnkd.in/ghiYhZ8P

What an incredible day for our state and the future of workforce development! Governor Mike Parson officially signed a state budget that provides $15 million in support for The Alliance for Healthcare Education. This is amazing news for our region and the future of health care. With this support, The Alliance will be able to jumpstart opportunities to educate the future of the health care industry. This funding will be used to finance construction – renovating facilities on the Cox North campus to create a state-of-the-art learning space – educational programs and more as The Alliance works to expand the health care workforce pipeline in our region. “We are grateful for the incredible state support for The Alliance for Healthcare Education,” says Shallina Goodnight, executive director of The Alliance. “We have brought together four regional powerhouses in education and health care, and this additional state support will drive us even faster toward our vision.” As always, we appreciate our partners Ozarks Technical Community College, Springfield Public Schools, Springfield, MO and Missouri State University for their collaboration on this groundbreaking initiative. Stay tuned for updates and learn more below: https://lnkd.in/gdr-3vTd

This week, our teams celebrated 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 of our Virtual Care Team! 🎉 In 2023, we announced that we invested in a transformational way to care for our ICU and Medical-Surgical patients. This approach combines industry-leading technology with the expertise of our clinical team to: - Provide extra support for our care team  - Add another level of attention and observation for our patients - Ultimately improve the quality of care we provide Since our launch, we have been blown away by the success of the program. With more than 120,000 patients impacted, we have seen a reduction in central line infections, falls, catheter-associated UTIs, readmissions and more. In addition to improved clinical outcomes, we have been happy to hear from our colleagues that they have felt an increase in work satisfaction. This week, we were excited to launch this technology at Cox Barton County Hospital in addition to our other hospitals. To learn more about our Virtual Care Team and explore career opportunities, visit: https://lnkd.in/gRU6VuyQ

At CoxHealth, the people make it a great place to work. Our commitment is to empower them to advance their careers. Over the past week and a half, CoxHealth welcomed hundreds of employees to Career Development fairs designed to help them plant seeds for a brighter future. Held at each CoxHealth campus, attendees learned about growth opportunities such as professional development programs, paid apprenticeships, tuition assistance, and individual career counseling. “Many times people aren’t aware of opportunities available to them, whether it’s tuition assistance to complete their degree, training programs or even how far their chosen career path can take them,” says Michelle Welch, program advisor in CoxHealth’s Center for Professional Development. “Our hope is that everyone who attends leaves with a better understanding of how CoxHealth can equip them to achieve their goals.” Learn more about opportunities at CoxHealth here:  https://lnkd.in/gJXDFW5r

It’s time to highlight our final spring 2024 DAISY Award honoree! This recognition is given to nurses who go above and beyond to serve our patients. Today, we are highlighting Lindsey Appleby, an RN in our Medical Oncology unit. Lindsey was nominated by a family member for going above and beyond to provide comfort and care for their father in his final days. “My father spent a total of 13 days on the oncology floor at Cox South. Lindsey was his nurse for much of that time. Throughout, she strived to meet my dad's needs. Not only his, but she asked me what I needed more than once, and recognized how difficult the situation was for me. She explained everything that was happening very clearly and was open to fielding any questions. If she wasn't able to answer them or they were better answered by someone in a different position, she made that clear. My dad felt very comfortable around her, and the amount of gratitude he directed toward her showed me how well-cared for he felt during what turned out to be his final days. Lindsey's concerns about his condition resulted in him being moved to the MICU, and that night she stayed well past shift change to accompany us to the new location. She even mentioned she would call the following day on her day off to check on him, which showed how invested she was in his care. He passed away two days later in the MICU. I'm sure that Lindsey's quality of work was routine for her, but it meant the world to us.”

What could be more exciting than graduation? Seeing new health care graduates join the CoxHealth team!   This week, CoxHealth welcomed a new cohort of nurses into the Graduate Nurse Residency program. For the next 12 weeks or more, these nurses will participate in extensive lab and classroom training sessions customized to the units they will be working. Throughout the residency program, they will develop and enhance their skills under the guidance of a clinical educator, preceptor and peer mentor.   We’re excited for the career path they’ve chosen and humbled that they’ve made CoxHealth the place where they will grow their nursing career. We look forward to seeing all they accomplish and the countless lives they’ll impact.   Learn more about CoxHealth’s nationally accredited Graduate Nurse Residency program here: https://lnkd.in/ghiYhZ8P