Skaggs to take Cox name

The Skaggs Regional Medical Center Board of Directors voted today to change the name of the Branson hospital to Cox Medical Center Branson, effective Jan. 1.

The change reflects the financial partnership finalized with CoxHealth in September, when the Springfield health system became the parent company of Skaggs.

“The decision was not approached lightly,” Skaggs President and CEO William Mahoney said in a news release. “Initially during the partner search, the Skaggs Regional Medical Center Board of Directors indicated that no name change would be pursued.  

"During due diligence, a letter drafted in the early 1960s to the hospital’s board of directors by Marion B. Skaggs was discovered, indicating he wished to downplay the name Skaggs in connection with the hospital."

A third-party community survey conducted by Springfield-based H2R Market Research found respondents in Taney and Stone counties favored a name change to reflect a broader delivery of health care under the banner of CoxHealth.

“The name Cox Medical Center Branson adds strength to an already dedicated medical facility that will secure health care for years to come," Mahoney said.

After five consecutive years of operational losses, the Skaggs Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees voted 98-0 in favor of establishing a strategic partnership with CoxHealth on Sept. 20. With the vote, the board of trustees was dissolved, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.[[In-content Ad]]