If you drive by Cox South, you might notice something new: Colorful metal tulips have sprung up along Primrose Street. Each of the metal tulips represents five COVID-19 patients who have been released.
Tulips are part of CoxHealth’s history. Lester E. Cox, who played a large role in the health system’s survival and success in the 1940s and 1950s, brought tulip bulbs back from Amsterdam to plant at Cox North. He wanted to give patients something colorful and hopeful to see out their windows. And real tulips still bloom at Cox facilities each spring, continuing that legacy.
Lisa Alexander, president of the CoxHealth Foundation, said that’s why they chose tulips to represent survivors of COVID-19.
"That tulip represents hope that this virus can be beat, that we do have wins and that people are going home back to their families," she said.
There are currently 300 tulips on the Cox South lawn. The metal flowers are funded by a donation from Arvest Bank Foundation.
The idea came out of the Morale Committee at Cox, which Alexander is part of. The committee also worked to implement another idea to celebrate recovery from COVID-19. Each time a COVID patient is released, the Beatles song, “Here Comes the Sun,” plays over the loudspeakers at Cox South.
The CoxHealth Foundation has a COVID-19 Relief Fund to help meet the needs of COVID-19 patients and staff who care for them. To donate, visit coxhealthfoundation.com.
