Springfield Families to Benefit from New Pediatric Partnership Between CoxHealth and St. Louis Children’s Hospital
For Natahle Middelkamp and her family, driving three hours to St. Louis for her son Rhett’s medical appointments is just part of life. Rhett, 4, has Down syndrome and needs regular care from specialists that aren't available close to home.
“Any time we have to go up for a sleep study, it means rearranging work schedules and splitting up the family,” Middelkamp shared. “It’s exhausting. It would be a dream to not have to drive so far for basic care.”
That dream inched closer to reality on June 12 when CoxHealth announced a new partnership with BJC HealthCare and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, aiming to build a full-service pediatric hospital in Springfield, along with a large outpatient and surgical clinic dedicated to children's health.
The pediatric hospital is expected to open in early 2026, while the outpatient center — a 100,000 to 140,000-square-foot facility — is projected to open in 2027 on Cox’s south campus. For families like the Middelkamps, this means essential care could soon be available much closer to home.
A New Era of Care for Southwest Missouri
Trish Lollo, president of St. Louis Children’s Hospital, said the partnership is about easing the burdens families face when their children need specialized care.
“When a child's condition is serious, the whole family feels it,” said Lollo. “Traveling to St. Louis or Kansas City costs time, money, and peace of mind. This collaboration is designed to change that.”
CoxHealth CEO Max Buetow emphasized that one in three children in the region must leave the area for specialty care. Even more concerning, he said, are the families who simply can’t afford to make the trip.
“Roughly 15 to 20% of kids who need that care never get it,” said Buetow. “That’s not acceptable. This hospital is for them.”
Backed by Academic Power
The new project is also a partnership with Washington University School of Medicine, whose pediatric specialists already power care at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Dr. David H. Perlmutter, dean of WashU Medicine, acknowledged the challenge of bringing advanced, city-level care to smaller communities but called the effort essential.
“Scaling this kind of care isn’t easy,” he said. “But today, we begin building a bridge — from our academic centers in St. Louis to families in southwest Missouri.”
A New Direction After a Failed Partnership
This major step comes just over a year after a previous collaboration between Mercy Springfield and CoxHealth to build a joint pediatric hospital fell apart. In March 2024, Mercy announced it was pulling out of the partnership to pursue an exclusive agreement with Children’s Mercy in Kansas City.
CoxHealth expressed surprise and disappointment at the sudden announcement but moved quickly to form a new plan — one that led them to BJC and St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Looking Ahead
Now, both CoxHealth and Mercy are moving forward on separate pediatric care initiatives, hoping to better serve the estimated 250,000 children in the region. Preliminary studies showed that at least 30% of families in the area have delayed or foregone care due to distance or cost.
With construction on the new facilities expected soon, families in southwest Missouri are finally seeing the kind of progress that could change everything — not just for their children, but for the entire community.
“This isn’t just about building a hospital,” Buetow said. “It’s about building a future where no child has to leave home to get the care they need.”