Becker's Hospital Review

18 POPULATION HEALTH 18 CEO / STRATEGY CoxHealth CEO not afraid of losing his job over controversial tweets By Hannah Mitchell S pringfield, Mo.-based CoxHealth CEO Steven Edwards has been at the center of several viral tweets over the COVID-19 pandemic. He spoke with Becker's in July about the motivations behind those tweets, the responses to his tweets within hospital walls and the responsibility of being a CEO activist. In a July 1 tweet, Mr. Edwards said, "If you are making wildly disparaging comments about the vaccine, and have no public health exper- tise, you may be responsible for someone's death. Shut up." Last year he also was sued for a tweet he wrote aer the mother of a young patient took issue with "COVID" being used as a promo code for free telehealth visits. e woman posted on Facebook saying she didn't want her son associated with the word "COVID," and Mr. Edwards tweeted that the promo code was not "part of a conspiracy theory." e CEO told Becker's the tweets are neces- sary to combat misinformation in the coun- ty as delta variant cases spread rapidly. He's heard claims not based on facts, such as that the vaccine causes infertility and that masks cause the virus to spread. Even local politi- cians have ignited misinformation campaigns in his community. "A state rep recently said both Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates have worked with the Wuhan center to create the virus," Mr. Edwards said. e misinformation is spreading as the delta variant takes hold of communities in Missouri. "It's risen at a rate far, far more rapidly than the original waves of COVID," he said. "What probably took seven or eight months to field inpatient volumes happened in seven or eight weeks. at put us on our heels." For the most part, his tweets have been well-received by his hospital staff and the community, but there is that 5 percent who want him fired, he said. "ere's a state representative, who runs a carwash, who disagrees with our position on vaccines and masking," he said. "He's asked that I be fired, but we don't respond to that sort of thing." He doesn't take the backlash personally. A metaphor he likes to use is that if you stand between your children and the edge of a cliff, they might be angry, but you don't care, he said. With the unwavering support of his board, there's not much that would stop him from sharing his controversial tweets. "I'm not worried about losing my job," he said. "I know that slows some people down. But I'm very committed that when we make mistakes in life it's oen because we're trying to keep our job, not do our job." Mr. Edwards wishes he started speaking up sooner. He points to stories written about how the American government handled the Spanish influenza pandemic in 1918. e government minimized the severity so it wouldn't undermine war efforts, he said. e Spanish flu infected 500 million people in North America and killed between 50 million and 100 million. "I'm riddled with guilt, to think that had I pushed harder we might have saved two more lives or three more lives," he said. He also recognizes that there are added dif- ficulties navigating helming a health system and being an activist. Yet, he will continue to be outspoken on Twitter even aer the pandemic ends. "I think that's my job," he said. "I think my level of activity seems enhanced because the number of followers has grown so much and so many of my followers are in the media. If you send a message, it does generate stories and spread awareness." When the COVID-19 pandemic does finally come to an end, he will target social issues such as opioid abuse, access to mental health and smoking ordinance changes. "I think I'm wired like a conservative hippie because I can't help but be an advocate," he said. "I've got the information and there's a platform. I feel like we have a duty to advocate because maybe it can save lives." n Dollar General: Rural America's new health hub? By Hannah Mitchell D ollar General hired its first CMO in July and plans to become a desti- nation for affordable healthcare offerings. The retail giant will bring an increased assortment of medical, dental and health aids to its shelves as part of its first major jump into the healthcare industry, according to a July 7 news release. Three things to know: 1. In the United States, 75 percent of the population lives within five miles of one of the chain's 17,400 stores. The chain recognizes that it's postured to de- liver care to rural communities that are traditionally underserved in the health- care ecosystem, the release said. 2. At Dollar General, we are always looking for new ways to serve, and our cus- tomers have told us that they would like to see increased access to affordable healthcare products and services in their communities," said Todd Vasos, Dollar General CEO. "Our goal is to build and enhance affordable healthcare offerings for our customers, especially in the rural communities we serve." 3. The chain selected Albert Wu, MD, as its first CMO and vice president. Dr. Wu will strengthen relationships with healthcare service providers to build a network for its customers. In his previous position, Dr. Wu worked at McKinsey, where he oversaw the care model for 250,000 rural patients and drove $2 bil- lion to $5 billion in revenue. n

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