Wallis' leadership guides CoxHealth through changes

Larry D. Wallis knows about challenges.

As president and CEO of CoxHealth, Wallis has faced the challenge of being responsible for more than 9,000 employees and countless patients. For his work, Wallis is being honored by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce as one of the four honorees in the 2002 Salute to Health Care.

"I'm honored," Wallis said. "I view it as being a representative of all the services that Cox has been able to provide to the community. In that capacity, I feel I represent the 9,000 people who are with Cox."

Laurie Glenn Cunningham, director of public relations at CoxHealth, nominated Wallis. She described Wallis as "a man of vision, integrity and compassion. At a time when health-care pressures have challenged even the most dedicated, he has not lost hope or sight of the fact that health care is a calling and that it is a service by people, for people. In the 13 years I have known him, I have never heard him take credit for success. Instead, he credits the employees, volunteers, medical staff and board members of CoxHealth."

While a Drury student, Wallis began working in respiratory therapy with Burge Hospital, which later became Cox. After he graduated from Drury with a bachelor's degree in psychology, he sought a master's degree in health-care management from Trinity University in San Antonio. He described the choice as "a nice fit for where I wanted to be."

Wallis' goal was to become a hospital manager. Under that program, he spent a year in a hospital setting. "On my own volition, I talked with a representative of Burge about coming to Burge. I've been here ever since."

That was in 1967. In 1993, Wallis became president and CEO for the entire organization.

"They say that the average stay for hospital administrators is three to five years," Wallis said. He certainly is way past the norm.

Over the years and under his guidance, Cox has changed, including the recent name change from Cox Health Systems to CoxHealth. "The term system' can be interpreted as somewhat industrial,' placing more emphasis on the business or process of medical services rather than on the people for whom we care," Wallis said. "We are CoxHealth. It is a subtle change and a new way of describing ourselves. However, it puts the focus on the health of our customers, not the system that delivers the care. CoxHealth represents the health of the total person across the life span as well as the broad continuum of care that we deliver."

Some of Cox's major milestones include purchasing St. Vincent's in Monett (now Cox Monett Hospital), transforming the Cox College of Nursing and Health sciences to a four-year degree program, establishing the Hulston Cancer Center and the Occupational Health Clinic, and establishing the CARE Mobile for under-privileged children. A new development is the Meyer Center for Wellness and Rehabilitation, which is expected to open in summer 2003.

CoxHealth is one of the "Fastest 50" growing hospitals in the country. It has been recognized twice as one of the National's Top 100 Hospitals and as once of the Top 100 Hospital Systems.

"Since 1993, there has been a major growth of the Cox system. It's been during those years that the health care industry has embraced the bringing together of different disciplines of health care beyond the traditional four walls of the hospital," Wallis said. "Cox has 19 different organizations that touch on different aspects of health care. Growth has been phenomenal. The constant has been that the purposes of Cox has not changed."

When asked of what he was most proud, Wallis said it's no single event. Rather, he is proud every time he receives a positive comment on Cox's services. He likes it when there is a report of "a nurse or technician or housekeeper going out of their way to take care of special needs of people in need of care."

Wallis' philosophy of life is "everybody can make a difference. Even though some of us have more visible titles than others, we are equal in bringing health care to the patient. I think it's the respect of those individuals that makes it so dearly important."

When asked if he'd change anything about his career, Wallis said "No. I've been blessed to work with a wonderful board. Being at Cox is my connection to meeting my wife Patricia (a registered nurse). I feel that I've had a wonderful opportunity, and I've been pleased that I've been allowed to grow within this organization and this community."