Outgoing SGCMH CEO Faces One Final Major Test In Effort To Fight Spread Of Coronavirus

During his decade-plus as CEO of Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital, Tom Keim has overseen expansions and upgrades.
Earlier this year, he announced his plans to retire when the hospital’s board had found a successor.
But now he finds himself leading SGCMH’s efforts to fight the coronavirus known as COVID-19.

Tom Keim

“I have never seen this in terms of the resources and the amount of time and money that’s been devoted to this,” Keim said of the ramping up to prepare for the spread of the virus. “It’s been pretty incredible.
“The first steps we did obviousily was to make sure we were protecting our staff because what you were hearing in the early days was that this was spreading so quickly that healthcare workers were being impacted.”
Keim said the hospital not only acquired needed supplies but had a team of employees dedicated to visiting each department to review equipment use and protocols.
He said the hospital also took aggressive steps early in March in locking down the hospital and screening visitors. Volunteers and students also were prohibited from the building for their protection.
“That was tough,” Keim said. “That was a big change not only for our staff but also the community. … In the beginning, we took the necessary steps to take care of our people but also to make sure we had a safe environment for our patients.”

See story in the April 29 edition of the Herald.