Staff at Cox Monett Hospital buries time capsule
Above, Cox Monett nurse, Denise Staponski, holds a letter she wrote to be inserted in a time capsule to be buried in front of the new hospital in Monett.
Above, Cox Monett employees prepare to bury a time capsule in front of the entrance to the new hospital on May 12. Shown left to right are Cindy Bourey; Denise Staponski, Melinda Beeson, Dr. Cliff Ganus; Josh Powell; Bev Eli; Tanya Straw; Sheila Massengill; Brian McClasky; Darren Bass; Dylan Westfall; Mike Harrison; Elena Silvers; Mark Bourey; Keyla Martinez Maldonado; Chris Roark; Lilly Schmidt and Donna Bower.
May 19, 2021
Included in a time capsule buried near the entrance of Cox Monett Hospital May 13 is the following letter written by Nurse Denise Staponski.
“Hello! My name is Denise Staponski. I have been a nurse for 43 years. Thirty-three of those years have been at Cox Monett Hospital. We moved to the Pierce City area in 1985. We had lived in Tulsa, OK for six years. I was used to a big city hospital and all that it offered. My first and only position there was in a NICU. I took advanced training and became a flight nurse. We left Tulsa and a job I loved in order to raise our young growing family in a rural environment. The hospital in Monett at that time was St. Vincent’s Hospital. I worked there five years before CoxHealth acquired it. Over several years, rural healthcare became a big part of who I am as a nurse. There are challenges with working in this environment, and I have loved every moment of it!
“In 25 years when this time capsule is opened, there will be so many changes in nursing. When I look back over my career, here are some of the major changes I experienced:
• All nursing documentation was handwritten. Black ink for day shift, blue ink for evening shift and red ink for night shift. It is computerized now and most nursing departments work 12-hour shifts.
• Gloves were worn for sterile dressing changes. That’s it! HIV was discovered in the 1980s. We now wear gloves for every potential exposure to blood and body fluids and have transmission-based isolation precautions.
• Working through a pandemic was an experience I never thought I would have in my career. The impact this had in all aspects of healthcare and the communities we serve was unbelievable.
• A new hospital! Working in an aging facility had many challenges. This became even more obvious during the pandemic. A new facility was built and I was able to be part of the move to the new hospital. A part of me will always be with the old hospital and the Vincentian Sisters of Charity.
“Enjoy your nursing career! There is so much flexibility with nursing that you don’t have with other careers. Job satisfaction is high - being the best for those who need us is a great vision to follow.
“Wishing healthcare workers all the best!”
Included in a time capsule buried near the entrance of Cox Monett Hospital May 13 is the following letter written by Nurse Denise Staponski.
“Hello! My name is Denise Staponski. I have been a nurse for 43 years. Thirty-three of those years have been at Cox Monett Hospital. We moved to the Pierce City area in 1985. We had lived in Tulsa, OK for six years. I was used to a big city hospital and all that it offered. My first and only position there was in a NICU. I took advanced training and became a flight nurse. We left Tulsa and a job I loved in order to raise our young growing family in a rural environment. The hospital in Monett at that time was St. Vincent’s Hospital. I worked there five years before CoxHealth acquired it. Over several years, rural healthcare became a big part of who I am as a nurse. There are challenges with working in this environment, and I have loved every moment of it!
“In 25 years when this time capsule is opened, there will be so many changes in nursing. When I look back over my career, here are some of the major changes I experienced:
• All nursing documentation was handwritten. Black ink for day shift, blue ink for evening shift and red ink for night shift. It is computerized now and most nursing departments work 12-hour shifts.
• Gloves were worn for sterile dressing changes. That’s it! HIV was discovered in the 1980s. We now wear gloves for every potential exposure to blood and body fluids and have transmission-based isolation precautions.
• Working through a pandemic was an experience I never thought I would have in my career. The impact this had in all aspects of healthcare and the communities we serve was unbelievable.
• A new hospital! Working in an aging facility had many challenges. This became even more obvious during the pandemic. A new facility was built and I was able to be part of the move to the new hospital. A part of me will always be with the old hospital and the Vincentian Sisters of Charity.
“Enjoy your nursing career! There is so much flexibility with nursing that you don’t have with other careers. Job satisfaction is high - being the best for those who need us is a great vision to follow.
“Wishing healthcare workers all the best!”