Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital unveiled its new emergency department Sunday during its
home opener celebration.
Tom Keim, hospital CEO, welcomed over 500 people in attendance,
and first introduced Landon Shaw to sing the National Anthem, as is
tradition for any baseball game. He then talked about the new ER.
“Today is the beginning of a new day,” he said. “As you tour our new facility,
you are going to be able to catch a glimpse of the future, and let me tell you
what a bright future it is. This new ER and expansion of our diagnostic imaging
services are leading the way and shaping the future of healthcare in Ste. Genevieve
County. At every hospital, the ER is the front door of the facility. In some cases it’s
the only time you'll visit the hospital. Those of you who have been through our
old ER over the past 40 years know that as front doors go, it was not that impressive.”
Keim went on to talk about the technological advancements of the ER.
“With a little help from our Friends Foundation, we took delivery of the 64-slice CT,
the only one between St. Louis and Cape Girardeau,” he said. “It's on the cutting edge,
and today our facility, our technology is second to none. Our hope is that you
never have to visit the ER, but our commitment to you is that if you do, you can count on us to deliver. You can
count on us to continue investing in our people and technology to make your hometown hospital a facility in
which you can be very proud.”
Rod Scherer
Dr. Bhargav Kanani
Rep. Joe Fallert
Senator Kevin Engler
Rod Scherer, SGCMH board of Trustees President, was next on the podium with his remarks.
“Our community and our staff have waited a long time for this facility,” said Scherer. “Those of you who know
the history of the hospital know how much we needed this new ER. Our staff has had to work in some very
challenging conditions in the old facility. But now, we have a beautiful environment where we can deliver
emergency care more efficiently and with greater privacy. We have the space to truly meet the needs of our
patients and continue to be a hospital that provides exceptional health care services.
The hospital’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Bhargav Kanani, addressed the crowd.
“My office sits across from this great wall of China,” he joked, referring to the brick wall directly across from
Apple Kids Pediatrics. “For months, we’ve been saying, ‘what’s going to be behind this?’ We can safely say
in Ste. Genevieve we are world class, especially with our 64-slice CT. Just imagine the possibilities that we
as physicians have when this technology is available to us. We are not lagging behind anywhere.”
He thanked the Board of Trustees and Tom Keim for providing the vision and direction for such an important
project. He continued, “The Democrats say they want change; the Republicans say they want change; in
Ste. Genevieve, we don’t say we want change, we make change!”
Final comments were presented by Representative Joe Fallert, who said the opening of the new ER was truly
a great moment for Ste. Genevieve, and State Senator Kevin Engler, who lauded the town’s commitment to
healthcare.
“I see towns far bigger than Ste. Genevieve who have not made the commitment to healthcare like Ste. Genevieve
has made to its residents,” Engler said. “You should be very proud and I congratulate you.”
(l-r) front row ribbon cutters: Senator
Kevin Engler; Representative Joe Fallert; Rod Scherer, Board of
Trustees President; Tom Keim, Hospital CEO; Mayor Dick Greminger; and
Ron Armbruster, Chamber President. Back row (l-r) County Commissioner
Ray Gettinger; County Commissioner Garry Nelson; Auxiliary
President Toni Vaeth; Veronica Sharlow, Board of Trustees Secretary;
Ann Bonnell, Friends Foundation President, Kurt Basler, Board of
Trustees Treasurer; Dr. Bruce Harrison, ER Medical Director; Mark
Fallert, Board of Trustees Vice-President; Nick Wehner, Board of
Trustees; and Dr. Bhargav Kanani, SGCMH Chief of Staff.
The official ribbon cutting was made and music by
members of the Ste. Genevieve German Band provided
festive background music, only to be interrupted by the
Ste. Genevieve Ambulance siren. Apparently the first
patient was about to enter the new ER. A hush came
over the crowd as the patient emerged from the
ambulance.
Anxious spectators were put at ease to find out the
patient was Sparkle Bee, the hospital’s Kid’s Club
mascot.
More fun was provided by Sheila Henderson, of the
Portrait Gallery, who provided free photos in front of a
baseball stadium backdrop. Cardinal Baseball tickets
were won by Beth Ziegler.
Rain began to move in, but that didn’t dampen the
enthusiasm visitors had for the new ER. Employee tour guides escorted groups of visitors through the facility. They
heard the same comment over and over again, ‘Wow!’
Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital will officially open the
new ER for business on Thursday, September 25.
Lobby
Nurses' Station
Baseball ticket winner, Beth Ziegler and her
dad Ray
Tom Keim, hospital CEO, welcomed over 500 people in attendance,
and first introduced Landon Shaw to sing the National Anthem, as is
tradition for any baseball game. He then talked about the new ER.
“Today is the beginning of a new day,” he said. “As you tour our new facility,
you are going to be able to catch a glimpse of the future, and let me tell you
what a bright future it is. This new ER and expansion of our diagnostic imaging
services are leading the way and shaping the future of healthcare in Ste. Genevieve
County. At every hospital, the ER is the front door of the facility. In some cases it’s
the only time you'll visit the hospital. Those of you who have been through our
old ER over the past 40 years know that as front doors go, it was not that impressive.”
Keim went on to talk about the technological advancements of the ER.
“With a little help from our Friends Foundation, we took delivery of the 64-slice CT,
the only one between St. Louis and Cape Girardeau,” he said. “It's on the cutting edge,
and today our facility, our technology is second to none. Our hope is that you
never have to visit the ER, but our commitment to you is that if you do, you can count on us to deliver. You can
count on us to continue investing in our people and technology to make your hometown hospital a facility in
which you can be very proud.”
The official ribbon cutting was made and music by
members of the Ste. Genevieve German Band provided
festive background music, only to be interrupted by the
Ste. Genevieve Ambulance siren. Apparently the first
patient was about to enter the new ER. A hush came
over the crowd as the patient emerged from the
ambulance.
Anxious spectators were put at ease to find out the
patient was Sparkle Bee, the hospital’s Kid’s Club
mascot.
More fun was provided by Sheila Henderson, of the
Portrait Gallery, who provided free photos in front of a
baseball stadium backdrop. Cardinal Baseball tickets
were won by Beth Ziegler.
Rain began to move in, but that didn’t dampen the
enthusiasm visitors had for the new ER. Employee tour guides escorted groups of visitors through the facility. They
heard the same comment over and over again, ‘Wow!’
Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital will officially open the
new ER for business on Thursday, September 25.
