CoxHealth says they are prepared to open fully and safely to meet the needs of the community.
This may include expanding operating hours, doing procedures and surgeries on the weekend, and will likely require more staff.
CoxHealth says there are currently no layoffs due to COVID-19.
“We are a family, and we believe we will need everyone on our team.”
Here’s CoxHealth’s full statement:
These are complex and difficult times, and in the wake of COVID-19, hospitals across the nation are struggling financially. Most have been forced to make extremely difficult decisions, including layoffs, furloughing employees, and cuts in retirement plans. At this point in time, CoxHealth has chosen a different path. We are worried about the thousands of patients who have deferred care, and we want to make sure we have the resources – especially staff – to take care of them.
Currently, the incidence of COVID-19 in Greene County and the other communities we serve is low; for example, it’s generally 10 times less than St. Louis. We have a strong supply of PPE, we have built more capacity, we have rapidly refined procedures to incorporate best practice for safely managing inside the reality of this pandemic. With nearly 6,000 patients waiting on surgeries and procedures, we believe the medical consequences of not receiving care will be worse than the pandemic itself.
We have prepared to open fully and safely. It is our goal to meet the needs of our community. This may include expanding operating hours, doing procedures and surgeries on the weekend, and will likely require more staff.
At this point in time, there are no layoffs at CoxHealth. We are a family, and we believe we will need everyone on our team.
