Southeast Missouri Hospital: More Than Seven Decades Of Growth

Southeast Missouri Hospital:
More Than Seven Decades Of Growth
MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 1928. President Calvin Coolidge is presiding
at the sixth International Conference of American States. Lucky Lindy is
greeted by cheering crowds in Panama City, the next stop on his triumphant
Central America Tour. On the home front, the nation is humming “Button
Up Your Overcoat” and “Shortnin’ Bread.” Some of us have the $550 it
takes to put us in the driver’s seat of a brand new Ford, while others of us
have invested $4,800 in the American dream - a new three-bedroom home
complete with a white picket fence. In a modest laboratory in London,
Alexander Fleming is on the verge of discovering our first wonder drug,
penicillin, and in a movie studio in Los Angeles a Missourian named Walt
Disney is putting the finishing whiskers on a cartoon character he calls
Mickey Mouse.
In Cape Girardeau on this wintry Monday, we’re lining up at the Park
Theater for the romantic film “What Price Glory,” starring suave Edmund
Lowe and steamy Delores Del Rio . The local newspaper is keeping us
abreast of Billy Sunday’s tent gospel show underway in St. Louis. At Bartles
Mercantile Co. on Broadway, knitted bloomers are on sale for $1, and at the
Metropolitan Cafe, 8 North Main, full-course dinners are going for two bits
and a dime, beverage included.
On a hill overlooking the city’s westernmost edge, Southeast Missouri
Hospital opens its doors.
Editor’s note: Much of the information contained in this historical
sketch was through the research of O.D. Niswonger, utilizing the
many notes made on the early development of the Hospital kept by
Herbert S. Wright, Administrator from 1946-1967. The Hospital's
more current history (1980-present) was compiled by Sally Owen,
Media Relations and Public Relations Supervisor in the Marketing
Department at Southeast and daughter of the late Mr. Wright.
History Book design by Concord Printing Services.
1

Board Of Trustees
(Listed in chronological order of election or appointment; * denotes service as
Board President; dates of service shown in brackets.)
2
* A.L. Harty (1926-1928)
* M.E. Leming (1928-1930)
* Charles F. Fluhrer (1930-1937)
* A.W. Harrison (1937-1944)
* W.C. Bahn (1944-1945)
* Arthur F. Deneke (1945-1949)
* Leonard A. Byron (1949-1950)
* E.W. Opfer (1/1950-4/1950)
* Robert D. Harrison (1951-1958)
* Lehman Finch (1958-1959)
* R.A. Fulenwider (1959-1962)
* Martin Hecht (1962-1963)
* Elmer A. Strom (1963-1965)
* Jack L. Oliver (1965-1967)
* Stephen N. Limbaugh (1967-1969)
* Francis F. Lewis (1969-1971)
* Charles A. Hood (1971-1973)
* Robert O. Hirsch (1973-1975)
* John L. Blue (1975-1977)
* Narvol A. Randol (1977-1979)
* Stephen E. Strom (1979-1981)
* Stone Manes (1981-1983)
* Stanley A. Grimm (1983-1985)
* Howard C. Tooke (1985-1987)
* Clarence Lee Shirrell (1987-1989)
* J. Ronald Fischer (1989-1991)
* Charles L. Hutson (1991-1995)
* Melvin C. Kasten, M.D. (1995-1997)
* Robert W. Erlbacher, II (1997-1999)
* Jerry R. Zimmer (1999-2001)
* David L. Hahs (2001-2003)
* Narvol A. Randol, Jr. (2003-2005)
* Michael D. Kohlfeld (2005-2007)
* James A. Rust (2007- )
S.P. Dalton
D.B. Smith
Russell L. Dearmont
Louis Hecht
M.G. LaPierre
Robert Vogelsang
B.A. Walther
Clarence L. Grant
George Naeter
Kenrick Burrough
Charles E. Bess
Mrs. D.H. Hope
Mrs. Henry Haman, Jr.
Curtis J. Neal
Mrs. John P. Meyer
Mrs. George Patton
Mrs. J.A. Kinder
Mrs. G.W. Walker
Mrs. G.B. Schulz
A.Q. Carter
J.A. Whiteford
Mrs. E.E. Brown
B.J. Sands
Reverend E.D. Owens
William J. Kies
Charles W. Boutin
Rush H. Limbaugh
Mrs. Charles F. Fluhrer
Reverend H.H. McGinty
W.H. Wagner
H.I. Himmelberger
Mrs. Ouida Lee Vasterling
Louis W. Kasten
Chris Bauer
Louis Schrader
Oliver Hope
Rev. R.C. Holliday
Rev. S.D. Aubuchon
Ray G. Miller
J. Sam N. Farquahr
Albert M. Spradling, Jr.
Keith R. Tolliver
Oscar Kaiser
Dr. W.W. Parker
Vinson Rueseler
Oscar C. Hirsch
L.L. Luetje
Lindsay W. Simmons
Ted R. Regenhardt
Mrs. Chris Stiver
John L. Wescoat
Walter Oberheide
Ray Call
William J. Kies, Jr.
Jack E. Himmelberger
Mrs. T.G. Harris
Carl Penzel
James A. Finch, Jr.
Vernon Landgraf
John T. Lamkin
Richard Laird
J. Hugh Logan
Paul R. Williams
T. Frank Waltz, Jr.
Glenn J. Hutson
Walter Joe Ford
Mrs. Forrest H. Rose
E.D. Johnson, III, M.D.
D.L. Parsons, M.D.
Mrs. Jack L. Oliver
R.A. Ritter, Jr., M.D.
Mrs. Harry B. Newman
John K. Hale
E.C. Brasington
C.A. Bohnsack
Paul L. Ebaugh
Jean A. Chapman, M.D.
James A. Kinder, M.D.
J. Patrick Downey, M.D.
Delmar A. Cobble
Francis R. Lengefeld
Max G. Stovall
Kenneth Mehrle
E. Lawrence Bahn, Jr.
J. Stephen Whitten, M.D.
Donald T. McNeely
J. W. Terry, M.D.
Gary W. Rust
H. Weldon Macke
Mrs. E. Lawrence Bahn, Jr.
Robert S. Hunt, M.D.
Mrs. Harold B. Rapp
Milton A. George
Mrs. Stanley A. Grimm
Thomas C. Sparkman, M.D.
C.R. Talbert, Jr., M.D.
Earl W. Johnson, M.D.
Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr.
Robert W. Foster
Paul L. Bray
Ann Harrison-Brinkopf
Michael L. Richey
Allen L. Spitler, M.D.
Bob Bohnsack
Michael Kohlfeld
Benjamin F. Lewis
Jim Brad Wilson
David S. Limbaugh
James A. Rust
James P. Limbaugh
Randall L. Stahly, D.O.
T. Ronald Hahs
Jacklyn Clark-Otto
John Grimm
Harold Kuehle
Frank H. McGinty, M.D.
John P. Lichtenegger
Al Spradling, III
Michael Bennett, D.D.S.
Paul Sander
Paul D. Thompson, M.D.
Gordon L. Haycraft, M.D.
Khalid I. Khan, M.D.
Ed K. Kiefner
John D. Thompson
Michael A. Price
D. Curtis Coonce, M.D.
Scot G. Pringle, M.D.
S. Kent Griffith, M.D.
Jay Knudtson
Robert G. Neff
Ilena Aslin
James Dufek
Robert W. Erlbacher, III
Cliff W. Ford
Gregg S. Hallman, M.D.
Christopher L. Hutson
Mary C. Kasten
David A. Law, M.D.
Janice L. Seabaugh, M.D.
Kevin A. Vaught, M.D.

1920s
It Began As A Dream, The ‘Hospital On The Hill.’
As early as 1923 the idea of a non-denominational, non-profit community
hospital was promoted by civic-minded citizens. By January of 1924, that idea
had jelled into an informally organized Hospital Committee. After much
discussion about where to locate a hospital, the committee turned its sights to
property overlooking Fairground Park, the site for the area’s annual fall
agricultural exposition. It was to the west, some of the original incorporators
argued, that the city would grow. That westward expansion, they surmised,
would be prompted by the location of a new public school in that area (two
years later, in 1926, Franklin School was built).
Through the willingness of some 20 businessmen and physicians who
signed individual promissory notes, a 52.5-acre tract of land was purchased for
$8,250 from Emil Thilenius and Mrs. Anna Keller, and a little later a 5-acre
tract where the Ben Greene home was located was bought from Hervey Little
and became the site of the present Hospital. The acreage, in use for livestock
production and crops, marked the westernmost boundary of the city. Fewer
than a dozen homes existed west of Broadway and Louisiana Streets.
After the Greene farm was purchased for the Hospital site, local contractor
A.H. Gerhardt was charged with the responsibility of moving the two-story
frame house down the steep hill, where it was to serve as the nurses’ quarters.
The lane leading up the hill to the house was unpaved and bumpy, and the
house proved to have a mind of its own on moving day, breaking loose from its
rollers and bouncing down the hill on its own momentum. Where it stopped
(surprisingly, none the worse for wear) became its permanent location.
The plan of the group was to form a subdivision and conduct a lot sale,
with proceeds from the sale of the lots being applied to the unpaid balance of
The farmhouse which once occupied the site of Southeast
Missouri Hospital.
3

1920s
the purchase price with any surplus being placed in a fund to be used for the
construction of the Hospital.
A contest was held to select a name for the new subdivision. On April
30, 1924, the winning name was selected from suggestions submitted by 269
persons. The winner: Highland Place. The prize: $10, divided equally among
the five persons submitting that name. However, the name was short-lived
when it was discovered that the city already had an area known as Highland
Place. The Hospital Committee then opted for another suggestion – Sunset
Terrace.
By the fall of 1924, the lots were ready for sale. On a crisp October
weekend, a public auction was held. Interest was high, and 101 lots were sold
on the first day. Within a week, 213 lots had been sold at an average price of
$347 per lot (any lot priced under $300 could be purchased with a $10 down
payment). A few lots went for as much as $1,000. By early 1925, a total of
275 lots had been sold.
Investors, delighted with the success of the venture, plunged ahead with
plans for the new Hospital. (However, in the next five or six years, some lot
buyers were unable to complete payments, and ownership of the lots reverted
to the Hospital.)
The name for Cape Girardeau’s new hospital was chosen on the
recommendation of the Southeast Missouri Medical Association. Since the
Hospital would serve the entire district, the Association said it would be
appropriate to have it known as a district institution. It didn’t take long to
validate the Medical Association’s thought. During Southeast’s first year of
operation, 868 patients were admitted – 75 percent of them from outside the
city of Cape Girardeau.
In June of 1926, the Southeast Missouri Hospital Association was
organized, and on August 6, 1926, the Association was incorporated with 23
members signing the incorporation documents. There were 11 members of
the first Board of Trustees which included the officers. Seven of these were
original incorporators.
It soon became apparent to the Association that money from the sale of
lots would not make a firm financial foundation on which to proceed with
construction plans. Once again, the Association turned to the public, this
time for a subscription campaign. The Hospital Campaign Committee
became an official entity on July 10, 1926, with Miss Tonette Benson as the
campaign director and M.E. Leming as its chairman.
Miss Benson, a professional fundraiser, came to Cape Girardeau from
Miami, Florida, where she had successfully completed a drive to raise $10
million for a university.
4

Comforting Décor
Piece by Piece...
The furniture budget for the
new Hospital was less than a
shoestring, but the Walther
Furniture Co. offered
furnishings on a “pay when
you’re able” basis. Below, a
sampling of some of the items
and their 1928 purchase price.
Total cost for furnishing
Southeast: $11,111.10.
Doctors’ Rest Room
1 leatherette couch........ $79
1 walnut finish table....... $15
1 bridge lamp.................$4
1 painted shade...............$7
Three Sun Rooms
6 ferneries................... $36
3 wicker settees, 3 wicker
chairs, 3 rockers........ $225
Wards
12 square post beds....... $540
12 mattresses.............. $180
12 pr. pillows................ $72
12 bed lamps............ $98.40
12 walnut Windsor
chairs..................... $105
A patient’s room in 1928 (top)—combining
efficiency and atmosphere. Wicker
furniture, curtains and windows made the
sunroom (center) a pleasant place. Wards
(bottom) featured windows on three sides,
draped with colorful cretonne hangings.
Deluxe Room
1 crank hospital bed....... $66
1 felt mattress.............. $15
1 dresser, decorated.... $48.10
1 arm chair....................$8
1 bedside table............. $16
1 footstool................. $3.50
1 bridge lamp & shade.... $11
5

1920s
The drive to raise money to build the Hospital was not limited to Cape
Girardeau. Committees were named in 30 other towns to aid with the drive.
Committees were formed as far south as Portageville and as far north as
Perryville. June 5, 1926, was declared “Hospital Sunday” in these
communities, with ministers and Hospital supporters speaking out from
pulpits in support of the new Southeast Missouri Hospital.
Public response was generous, as it had been regarding the Hospital
since the project began. Within eight weeks, 386 contributors had given cash
and pledges amounting to about $90,000.
January 8, 1928:
Dedication Day
Some came on foot, bundled up
against the bitter winter cold. More
came by automobile and streetcar.
Horse-drawn wagons brought
others. In all, 5,000 people
crowded shoulder to shoulder on
“hospital hill” to be a part of
dedication ceremonies for
Southeast Missouri Hospital on
January 8, 1928. Many who had
played a role in the founding of
Southeast Missouri Hospital shared
a common pride as Dr. B.A. Wilkes,
superintendent of the Missouri
Baptist Sanitarium in St. Louis,
praised the community for work put
forth in the establishment of the
Hospital. As president of the Mid-
West Hospital Association, Dr.
Wilkes was regarded as an
“eminent authority” on medical
and surgical matters.
Dedicatory Address
“I beg the people of southeast
Missouri to take pride in what they
have here accomplished, and then
to go on growing, for even with the
new building, hospital facilities in
this district are inadequate.
“The hospital is the greatest
asset, today, in any community. I do
not exempt the church, for that
comes first. You people of Cape
Girardeau will be bettered by the
presence of this building in your
midst. You will feel the touch of
suffering humanity about you, and
the resulting human sympathy
which it will inspire in you will
make you more helpful in serving
your community.
“Never, in all my travels, have I
come across a better constructed
hospital than this one. Every
space is utilized in the best
manner possible, and it has as
solid construction as the Rock of
Gibraltar.”
“The influence of Southeast
Missouri Hospital is immeasurable.
Your community will rise to a
higher standard, and people will
want to live here. Do you want to
live in a town where these things
aren’t first: church, hospital and
schools Business prospects never
supercede your desire to raise your
children in the right atmosphere.
“Let us dedicate this Southeast
Missouri Hospital first, to our
Master, and second, to the citizens
of Cape Girardeau and southeast
Missouri.”
6

1920s
The Association opted for construction of a 140-bed hospital (quite a
large facility for those days), but once architects’ sketches and construction
estimates were in, they were dismayed to discover a facility that large would
cost about $150,000. The St. Louis architectural firm of Hoener, Baum and
Froese pared down plans to a 90-bed hospital. On Dec. 18, 1926, the general
contract was awarded to a well-known Cape Girardeau contractor, A.H.
Gerhardt, who returned $1,000 of the cost back to the Hospital in the form
of a pledge. The second low bid was from another Gerhardt – J.W. – who 20
years later was successful in a bid to construct a million dollar addition to the
original building.
It was 1927, and the dream was taking shape. Construction began, and
the cornerstone was laid April 12. Financial margins for the project were less
than a shoestring, and it was only through the support of two old and
established local businesses – the Walther Furniture Co. and the Buckner-
Ragsdale Co. – that furniture and linens could be provided through a deferred
payment arrangement.
Because of insufficient income from pledges and deferred payment on the
Hospital lots, it was also necessary in 1927 to issue 6 percent revenue bonds
for $75,000 to meet payments for the general contractor. The bonds would be
retired at the end of 1937.
SHAPING AN IMAGE ON THE HILL
By October of 1927, the Hospital had taken shape, and what had once
been a farmhouse surrounded by fruit trees and pasture land was now an
imposing part of the city’s skyline. Three months prior to the dedication of
the Hospital on January 8, 1928, a registered nurse from Kalamazoo,
Michigan, Miss Theresia M. Norberg, was hired as administrator. Her salary
was $50 per week plus “maintenance.”
On January 1, 1928, Miss Norberg was presented with $200 cash and
instructions to proceed with plans for opening the Hospital. It was determined
that until the two upper floors of the Hospital were filled with patients, nurses
would reside there instead of moving into the new nurses’ home near the
Hospital.
Cape County resident Guy Lowes walked through Southeast’s oak and
glass doorways on January 9, 1928. Lowes, Southeast’s first patient, was
checking in for a tonsillectomy. He was admitted by G. B. Schultz, M.D., who
had closed his modest private hospital, the Alice Knight Schultz Hospital,
with the opening of Southeast. In order to perform surgery on Lowes, Dr.
Schultz brought along a special piece of equipment - the operating table he
7

1920s
had used at his office-hospital. Lowes’ room charge during his hospital stay
was $2.50 per day; preferably all charges were to be paid in advance.
The first baby was born in the new Hospital on Jan. 17, 1928, to Mr.
and Mrs. Oscar Hahs of Cape Girardeau. The infant, a girl, weighed only 3
pounds, 9 ounces, and became not only the first baby born at the Hospital
but also the first occupant of one of Southeast’s proudest possessions, its
incubator.
Much of the equipment for the Hospital was purchased under the
watchful eye of Miss Norberg, who was said to spare no expense when it
came to supplying the Hospital with the machinery and supplies necessary
to undergird its nursing and medical care. Her ideal in life was to equip and
run a hospital, and the opportunity to be a guiding force at Southeast was a
challenge Miss Norberg welcomed. “I urge all of you to stand by her and
hold up her hand,” commented Dr. B.A. Wilkes, principal speaker at the
Hospital dedication ceremony and a longtime associate of Miss Norberg.
The Hospital staff swelled with pride in its equipment. So much so, that
in September of 1928 X-ray technician Otto Mundorf loaded up his
radiology gear and put it on display at the Southeast Missouri District Fair
exposition, along with an incubator and a hospital bed.
During its first year of operation, the occupancy rate ran about 36
patients a day. Unfortunately, many of these patients were unable to pay for
medical care, and by May 1, 1928 (just four months after the Hospital’s
Equipment in
the 1928
Radiology
Department
was so up-todate
that it
was put on
exhibit later
that year at
the District
Fair.
8

1920s
opening), 104 days of service had been given patients who, Miss Norberg
said, “were unable to pay a cent,” while another 1,268 days of care had
been rendered to patients who could pay only part of their bill. Hospital
records also note that approximately 70 percent of patients admitted during
1928 were from communities outside Cape Girardeau, “showing
conclusively that the Hospital was needed as a southeast Missouri
institution,” Miss Norberg pointed out in a report to the Board of Trustees.
The large number of charity patients who filled beds at Southeast
resulted in the organization of a Charity Aid Association. An appeal went
out to churches and civic organizations to help finance charity patients in
the Hospital, and in August of 1928 a $50 per plate dinner was held to raise
With Charity Toward Many
Southeast was no exception to
that rule, and during its first two
years of service, the cost for treating
charity cases amounted to $6,883.20.
Few individuals then had health
insurance, and federal programs such
as Medicare and Medicaid were
unheard of. In 1930, the Hospital set
up a “charity endowment fund” to
help cover some of the costs of
charity service.
The cases ranged from the
mundane to the bizarre. From the
notebook of Hospital Superintendent
Miss Theresia M. Norberg were the
following cases:
- Mr. M, shot in a fight. Cared for
until death.
- Mrs. A, heart trouble following
confinement. Doctors said the only
chance to save her was with hospital
care, so both mother and baby
became patients.
- Mrs. L and daughter, both out of
work. Mother cared for. Daughter not
wanting to come in; because of that
waited too long and her appendix
was ruptured before she would
consent to care.
- Annie, 12-year-old girl with
cleft palate; all her playmates
making fun of her. Brought in for
repair work.
- J.C., dwarf with a company of
fortune tellers, brought in with
ruptured appendix.
- Mr. W, shot in hand. It seemed
that removal of the hand was
necessary. Brought in, and hand
saved after much care.
- Mr. P, hobo, rolled into a
campfire while asleep. Hands and
back badly burned.
-Mr. R, critical lung condition
when brought in. Kept longer than
necessary in ordinary cases,
because of bitter cold weather
and unfavorable living conditions
at home.
Figures during the Depression
years showed that U.S. hospitals
paid about $100 million per year in
charity service to the poor.
“We are not to be run to make
money,” Miss Norberg said, “but to
serve humanity.” Eight decades
later, that mission remains
unchanged.
9

1920s
funds toward that end. Ninety persons attended and were served only cheese
and coffee.
From that fund-raising dinner, records show that with $800 one
additional Hospital purchase was made – screens for windows.
While coping with growing numbers of patients and financial
responsibilities, Miss Norberg and the staff found demands for nurses
increasing as well. In the spring of 1928, Southeast established a school of
nursing. The school charged no tuition.
The country was graduating some 18,000 young women from 2,000
nursing schools annually. That Southeast should be a site for training young
women for nursing seemed not only logical, but a service as well. A 1928
publication, “Hospital News,” published by Southeast pointed out that “in
business life young women must compete with men, most frequently to their
own disadvantage, but in the field of nursing they are supreme.” Because of
financial constraints brought on by the Depression, the school of nursing was
eventually discontinued.
For two years, Southeast struggled with a tightening fiscal vise and a
patient load that was lower than the trustees had hoped. The second year of
operation saw 893 patients admitted and 10,527 days of service given.
The finest in
operating
suites—more
than 75
years ago.
10

Always Progressive
Welcome to Southeast
“Modern.” “Homelike.” “Latest
conveniences.”
These were words used to
describe Southeast Missouri Hospital
in 1928. From its sun parlors to its
wards, the Hospital was a model of
progressive healthcare.
“Our building is of fireproof
construction with modern furnishings
and equipment,” commented M.E.
Leming, chairman of the Building
Committee. “We have tried in every
way to make the place as homelike
as possible and have used brown
beds and homelike furniture in the
rooms. We have drapes and curtains
for all our rooms and hope they will
add to the pleasure of the patients.”
An account of the new Hospital
appearing in the Southeast
Missourian takes us through the
doors of Southeast Missouri Hospital
as it was 75 years ago.
“Several special features of the
new building are worthy of mention
and observance by visitors. There are
three types of patient rooms. The
majority of the rooms are completely
furnished and equipped with the
most recent type of necessities for
the sick. On each of the three upper
floors, however, there are two
special rooms, with additional
conveniences, such as a lavatory
within the room. There is one deluxe
suite on each of the three upper
floors which consists of the room and
private bath. The furniture and
furnishings of this room are more
elaborate, and every comfort of the
most luxurious modern home may be
had here.
The wards offer a fourth type of
room for the patients. There are two
of these, one on the second and one
on the third floor. There are sunny,
cheerful rooms with windows on
three sides, draped in colorful
cretonne hangings. They contain
rocking chairs for the convalescent
patients, and other conveniences. At
the present time, six beds are
arranged in each ward, but eight
may be taken care of easily.
The latest model in hospital beds
is to be found in each private room.
These are known as ‘crank’ beds on
account of two cranks beneath the
foot of the bed, which may be
hinged out and used in raising or
lowering the patient.
The emergency operating room,
on the ground floor, is complete in
itself, being just inside the door
where the ambulance stops. It has a
signal light, which flashes a red
signal upstairs in the main office,
when a case demanding immediate
attention has arrived.
The X-ray suite, on the ground
floor, contains some of the most
valuable instruments of the entire
Hospital. In one room is the machine
for taking the pictures, which is of
the finest and latest model. In the
projection room is the steroscope,
which shows the X-ray pictures after
they have been taken.
In addition, those touring the new
Hospital found a sun parlor on each
floor, a delivery room and nursery on
the second floor and a suite of
operating rooms on the third floor.
Those consisted of one major and
one minor operating room, a nose
and throat room, instrument room,
sterilizing room and doctors’ dressing
room. The balance of the building
consisted of offices and the “various
rooms necessary for maintenance.”
11

1930s
Hard Times - Determined Times
By 1930, more patients were utilizing Southeast; but the financial shock
waves produced by the stock market crash of October, 1929, had rippled
into the Midwest, and the number of charity cases began to soar.
Nationwide, 31.4 percent of all hospital work was charity. Time and again,
the original incorporators bailed the Hospital out of financial disaster.
Action by one Hospital trustee exemplifies that of many during those
early years. Main Street stores had just opened for business on this particular
morning, and clothier Louis Hecht was about ready to close the sale on a
fine $25 coat when a taxicab carrying fellow Trustee, newspaper publisher
George Naeter, came to something of a screeching halt outside Hecht’s
Store. Taxicab meter running, Naeter outlined the situation to Hecht: a
grocery truck had pulled up outside the Hospital’s kitchen door to deliver
$100 worth of goods that would, literally, go right into the cooking pot.
There was no money to pay for the groceries, and the wholesaler refused to
grant the Hospital additional credit. Naeter had contributed $50 and, he told
Hecht, another $50 was needed. Without further ado, Hecht handed over his
$50, commenting in later years that “I sold a $25 coat one minute, and gave
it, and $25 more, away the next.”
Scenes such as this were repeated often during the years of struggle,
with Hospital supporters offering emergency help for everything from butter
and meat to needles and syringes. Church groups stepped in to help, offering
to can fruits and vegetables raised in the Hospital gardens. Still, times didn’t
The 1928
office—
Administration,
switchboard,
cashier,
admitting, all
in a central
location.
12

1930s
Original Incorporators
W.C. Bahn
Kenrick Burrough
J.B. Carpenter
H.L. Cunningham, M.D.
Russell L. Dearmont
E.W. Flentge
Charles F. Fluhrer
A.W. Harrison
Alfred L. Harty
D.H. Hope, M.D.
J.H. Himmelberger
M.E. Leming
G.L. Meyer
I. Ben Miller
George Naeter
A.M. Spradling
G.B. Schultz, M.D.
O.L. Seabaugh, M.D.
Mrs. O.L. Seabaugh
M.H. Shelby, M.D.
D.B. Smith
Bernard A. Walther
Carl A.W. Zimmerman, M.D.
First Year Data
January 10 – December 31, 1928
Patients admitted......................... 868
Days of hospital
service rendered.........................9,846
Average length of stay............. 11.3 days
Operations:
Minor....................................... 216
Major...................................... 237
Accident cases...............................80
Births..........................................48
Laboratory examinations...............1,344
X-ray cases................................. 384
Total cost of
hospital operation............... $54,310.03
Cost per day for each patient.........$5.51
Total payroll....................... $24,625.44
Food costs:
Groceries & fruits................ $5,369.43
Meats & poultry.................. $2,828.17
Dairy products.................... $2,876.77
Gas, water, light and
fuel cost........................... $3,056.64
get better, and by 1930 default had begun on the interest and principal
payments on the Hospital’s bonded debt of $68,000. The Hospital’s governing
body began to have second thoughts about the feasibility of operating such a
large, and costly, institution.
The city and county were approached to take over the bonded debt and
operate the Hospital as a municipal facility. But the city and county had their
fiscal problems too, and refused.
It was at this time that the Board of Trustees learned that Missouri
Baptist Hospital in St. Louis wanted to expand. If Missouri Baptist would take
over Southeast, the Board reasoned, the Hospital would remain to benefit the
community; but its originators and sponsors would no longer be burdened by
debt from it. Negotiations continued with Missouri Baptist for several years,
but ultimately proved to be fruitless.
By now it was 1935, and financial matters were coming to a head. The
bonding company began pressing the Hospital for payment of back interest
and capital. Because foreclosure was the last thing either debtor or creditor
13

1930s - 1940s
wanted, an arrangement was worked out; and in 1937 the Hospital resumed
payments on the bonded debt.
Although the financial problems of Southeast Missouri Hospital seemed
at times insurmountable, records show that the board never refused at any
time to add equipment that the medical staff saw as an improvement in
patient care.
After a decade of stretching ends to meet at least partially, the Board of
Trustees hit upon a successful fund-raising plan, this time through an
agreement with the Columbia National Life Insurance Co. Under the plan,
group life insurance policies were sold for a 25 percent discount if purchasers
paid cash. The Hospital then agreed to pay yearly premiums while using the
cash from purchasers’ investments for debt retirement.
During World War II, the Hospital conducted a war bond campaign
whereby bonds were turned over by purchasers to the Hospital. By the end of
1945, Southeast, for the first time in 17 years, was at a point where surplus
money was available for debt retirement.
In 1948, for the first time in its existence, Administrator Herbert S.
Wright announced that the Hospital was debt free. A few months later at a
Board of Trustees meeting, attendance was slim. One member offered the
suggestion that the Board meet only once a year, since there was no debt to
retire and the function of the Board was largely negated. Other members
present seemed to agree with him. Then a member noting the present
crowded condition of the Hospital suggested that, “If the function of the
Board of Trustees is to get the Hospital out of debt and that duty has been
Cape Girardeau
in the late
1920s—growing
toward a
dynamic
tomorrow.
14

The Old-Fashion Way
The Early Days:
Gypsies, Gardens and
Getting By
“Not to be ministered unto,
but to minister.”
Southeast Missouri Hospital
doesn’t have a chicken coop
anymore.
Many growing seasons have
passed since the Hospital kitchen
has opened a jar of home-canned
green beans or pickled peaches to
serve on patient food trays.
Lacy dresser scarves have given
way to more utilitarian laminated
tops and vinyl window blinds.
And it’s been a long, long time
since the Hospital’s Medical Staff
treated a hobo passing through
town on a boxcar or delivered a
baby to a traveling gypsy.
But in Southeast’s early days,
gathering eggs from laying hens,
food gifts from the community and a
surprisingly high number of charity
cases were all a part of the routine.
Southeast’s operating budget in
1928 allowed for few extras. Even
meeting the necessities often
meant stretching the shoestring
painfully thin.
Help from the community came
in many forms - electric toasters;
coal to help heat the nurses’ home;
canned fruits and jellies; batches of
cookies and bushels of fresh fruit.
Church groups made bath and dish
towels and crocheted dresser
scarves. One women’s group made
diapers. Individuals gave magazines
and books to entertain patients
and visitors.
Although the Hospital staff
remained dedicated to delivering
the best patient care possible (and
the Board of Trustees never
refused to add any equipment
recommended for improved
patient care, frequently signing
individual promissory notes to do
so), the Depression years did take
their toll.
With 25 cents of every Hospital
dollar going to food (a main dish
frequently served to patients was
10-cent-a-pound bologna),
donations of foodstuffs were
eagerly accepted by Southeast. In
1929, after five hunters were
apprehended with illegal game,
two contraband geese, two
raccoons and 29 quail wound up in
the Hospital’s cooking pots.
The Hospital maintained a large
vegetable garden on the spacious
grounds. A year after the Hospital
opened, construction of a chicken
house on the grounds was
authorized by the Board of Trustees.
Having chickens, the Board
reasoned, would not only provide
eggs and poultry for patient meals,
“but also enable us to take poultry
on accounts as needed and also to
use scraps of food from trays and
table.”
The majority of patients from
1928 through the early 1930s were
from communities well outside
Cape Girardeau. For families and
friends, visiting them often meant a
day-long excursion, and going to
“The Cape” was looked upon as an
event.
So, Southeast became a
gathering place for social affairs
as well as a haven for the ill. The
(Continued on page 16)
15

1950s
(The Early Days, continued
from page 15)
lush, shady grounds were
dotted with park benches;
and a fish pond drew
children eager to dabble
their toes in the cool water.
Picnics were often held on
the grounds. On Sunday
afternoons, the grounds
often took on the air of an
ice cream social, with
visiting, basket lunches and
the sounds of youngsters
at play.
While simply getting to
Southeast to visit family and
friends meant hardship for
some, patients, too were
often strapped for cash
when it came time to pay
for Hospital services
rendered. Many turned to
the land as a means of
payment, reappearing at the
Hospital several weeks after
their dismissal only to thrust
a dozen live hens, a piglet
or boxes of sweet corn and
tomatoes into the arms of a
sometimes startled cashier.
“We exist for the sole
purpose of rendering
service,” emphasized
Superintendent Theresia
Norberg in a report to the
community in 1930. “We
hope we will never have to
turn a worthy case away
from the hospital’s doors.”
accomplished, the next step is very
simple: let’s start planning a 40-bed
addition and get the Hospital back in
debt!”
That plan went on the drawing
boards, but cost of construction was
estimated at around $15,000 per
hospital bed. That figure, and the
subsequent inadequacy of the main
boiler, temporarily shelved the plan.
Plans were made, however, to erect a
much-needed service building to house
the Hospital’s heating plant and
laundry in an area separate from
patient locations.
Once again, the Hospital turned
to the community for assistance; and,
once again, the community extended a
helping hand, contributing $48,000 in
cash and pledges toward the $65,000
construction cost and $5,000
equipment cost. The building was
completed in 1949.
The post-World War II baby
boom was still filling hospital nurseries,
and admissions at Southeast were
increasing by an annual rate of 7 to 10
percent. In sharp contrast to the
early years, Southeast found that there
were many times that only cases of an
extreme emergency nature could be
given a bed. The utilization of
Southeast had by this time far
surpassed the wildest dreams of its
incorporators. In 1953, 3,549 patients
were admitted. By 1954, Southeast
had outgrown its original structure.
The time for major expansion had
arrived.
16

Spirit of Sharing
Community Support and Volunteer Service
To volunteer is to give willingly
of time and talent. To the
Southeast Missouri Hospital of
today and yesterday, the
importance of that spirit of
sharing cannot be underestimated.
Shortly after the Hospital
opened its doors, it became
evident that volunteer help would
be beneficial. Because money was
tight, donations of supplies such as
pillows filled with feathers,
dresser scarves and glass vases
were sought by Superintendent
Theresia Norberg from church and
lodge groups.
She was eager for a formal
Auxiliary to be established at the
Hospital, pointing out the
“splendid contact between the
Hospital and the community” such
an association could produce.
Not one to withhold ideas, Miss
Norberg urged ladies of the area
to conduct various fund-raising
activities that would make it
possible for Southeast to fund its
charity care and furnish rooms.
For about six years, these
activities were left to the various
women’s organizations in the
community. But in 1937, an
Auxiliary was organized. Mrs. D.H.
Hope was elected president.
Because there was no meeting
space at the Hospital, the group
gathered at the First Presbyterian
Church in downtown Cape
Girardeau. There they often sewed
items for the Hospital and
conducted fund-raising drives to
help pay hospital bills of the
indigent, usually children.
The turmoil of World War II
brought a lapse in Auxiliary work,
and the last meeting was recorded
on April 24, 1947.
On March 18, 1959, the Auxiliary
of the Hospital was reorganized
with Mrs. C.E. Stiver as president.
From that point on, the Auxiliary
has been a thriving, vital part of
Southeast Missouri Hospital.
Much of the equipment the
Hospital has acquired since 1958 has
been made possible either in part or
in whole by the Auxiliary. Those
efforts have not been restricted to
fund-raising but have included many
thousands of hours of volunteer
service within the Hospital. In 2002
alone, 40,000 volunteer hours were
recorded.
The Auxiliary is not the only
separate body that lends support
in many ways to Southeast. The
Southeast Missouri Hospital
Foundation, formed in 1977, and
the Southeast Missouri Hospital
Association both contribute
support. All three of these groups
are composed of members of the
community, thus extending
Southeast’s reach well beyond
the confines of its walls.
Throughout its history, there has
been a strong relationship
between the community and its
“hospital on the hill.”
17

1950s
Once Again, the Public Responds
In June of 1954 a public subscription campaign for funds was launched
with Jack Knehans as general campaign chairman and Lindsay Simmons as
treasurer. The goal was $350,000. After a 10-week campaign, the results were
in – not $350,000 raised, but an amazing $484,000 in cash and pledges. The
largest single contribution to that campaign was for $50,000 and was from
R.B. Potashnick and Companies. With matching funds from a Hill-Burton
grant (a federal program whose monies were earmarked for the construction
of new hospital beds), the total funds were about $935,000.
The new addition, completed in 1957, doubled the bed capacity of the
Hospital to about 153 beds and included five operating rooms; orthopedic
and urological operating rooms; a new obstetrics department and additional
beds for medical-surgical patients and pediatrics. As the new addition (to be
known as the South Addition) was being completed, it was decided to
remodel the 1928 structure. The addition to the Hospital, plus remodeling of
the original building, made an overall investment of $4.1 million.
From that time on, the word for Southeast Missouri Hospital has been
growth. Adult admissions in 1957 totaled 4.297; by 1963, they had risen to
A proud moment—groundbreaking for the 1957 addition.
18

1950s - 1970s
Architectural sketch of West Wing Addition to Southeast Missouri Hospital.
7,640. Births in 1957 totaled 644; six years later, 813 births were recorded.
As the region grew, it became quite apparent that, in order to meet the
increasing demand for medical services, Southeast’s course would be one of
growth as well. For a period of nine months in 1963, patient occupancy in the
Hospital’s medical-surgical unit did not budge from 93 percent. The following
year saw maximum occupancy as the general rule. On most days, there was a
“to call” list of patients waiting to enter Southeast as soon as there was a
vacant bed.
Plans for another addition began to take shape, this time a 54-bed
addition on two floors constructed with $461,395 in cash and pledges and a
matching grant from the Hill-Burton fund.
Throughout the 1970s, progress was continually evident at Southeast.
Another new wing (part of a four-stage, five-year development program), to
the west of the original Hospital structure, was dedicated in 1973. A multilevel
parking garage was completed; and a three-floor addition to the east
wing was accomplished. It was also during this time (January, 1978) that the
construction of the Regional Cancer Center was envisioned.
19

1980s
The Regional
Cancer Center
at Southeast
Missouri
Hospital.
The Dynamic Eighties
Southeast welcomed the eighties by completing construction of the $3
million Regional Cancer Center in 1981. Built into the Hospital hillside, the
Regional Cancer Center and its state-of-the-art equipment was yet another
stepping stone toward a brighter prognosis for cancer patients. From a
caseload of 35 radiation therapy patients in 1980, the Regional Cancer
Center today records over 8,000 radiation therapy visits annually.
It was also in 1980 that the Hospital introduced a new component to its
growing catalog of services - a wellness program designed to promote the
importance of a healthy lifestyle.
With completion of the $6.34 million Robert D. Harrison Annex in
1983, Southeast positioned itself to enter into a new, and exciting, service –
open heart surgery.
A new, and major, addition to Southeast came in August of 1987, when
the Hospital inaugurated its Hospital-based LifeBeat air medical service.
Through LifeBeat, Southeast’s specialized services were extended to a
population of some 500,000 residents within portions of four states.
While the Hospital's open heart surgery program is dedicated to saving
lives, Southeast’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Center, renovated, redecorated
and named after Dennis B. Elrod, M.D., in 1987, is dedicated to bringing
new lives into the world. Completed at a cost of $2 million and named in
honor of Dr. Dennis B. Elrod, a pioneering obstetrician who delivered over
5,300 infants during his 44-year career, the redesigned Center introduced a
20

1980s
new concept in childbirth to the region with its three “birthing” rooms.
Many among the crowd of 3,000 who braved damp, cold early spring
weather to attend open house activities were themselves “Elrod babies” or
“Elrod mothers,” eager to share their fond recollections of the late Dr. Elrod.
In 1988, at “Sixty Years and Growing,” Southeast proudly examined the
history of its growth through a year-long series of special activities. Still with its
eye on the future, the Hospital purchased a number of property parcels to the
west and north of the main Hospital campus to allow for improved parking
facilities and space for future facilities growth.
In contrast with the Hospital’s first few tenuous years when even
inexpensive pieces of equipment were often acquired only through the
generosity of Board of Trustees members, Southeast in 1988 was able to invest
more than $6 million in capital improvements.
In 1989, Southeast’s commitment to providing quality health care
continued with the addition of a second Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.
Southeast Missouri Hospital’s Cardiothoracic Surgery team performs
hundreds of open heart surgeries annually. The Center is noted for a
continuous tradition of quality outcomes, the latest technology and
procedures, experienced staff and personalized patient care.
21

s o u t h e a s t m i s s o u r i h o s p i t a l c a m p u s - 8 0 y e a r s o f g r o w t h : 1 9 2 8 t o 2 0 0 8
East Parking, 1994
Kiefner Bros. Const.
Clinical Services Building, 1994
Kiefner Bros. Const.
Harrison Annex, 1982 & 83
Kiefner Bros. Const.
East Addition, 1966
Gerhardt Const.
Harrison Annex Addition, 1991
Kiefner Bros. Const.
Original
Construction,1927
Gerhardt Const.
MRImaging Center, 1990
Kiefner Bros. Const.
Southeast Medical Plaza, 2006
Kiefner Bros. Const.
Regional Cancer Center, 1981
Kiefner Bros. Const.
South Addition, 1957
Gerhardt Const.
Elrod OB/GYN
Center, 1987 & 2002
Kiefner Bros. Const.
Lobby, 1996
Kiefner Bros. Const.
Parking Garage, 2006
Kiefner Bros. Const.
West Wing, 1973
Penzel Const. Parking Garage, 1974
Penzel Const.
Parking Garage, 1992
Penzel Const.
Pedestrian Link, 1993
Penzel Const.
24 25

1990s
The Nineties - Progress Continues
Southeast ushered in a new decade with the opening of a $1.2 million
addition to the Harrison Annex. The addition, opened in January of 1991,
included spacious new waiting rooms for families with patients in Surgery or
Critical Care and a beautifully decorated Chapel, where all those the
Hospital serves are welcome to spend time in prayer and contemplation.
Put into use at about the same time was the Hospital’s new MRImaging
Center in the Regional Cancer Center. The $2.1 million project replaced the
mobile magnetic resonance imaging unit that the Hospital had used since
1987.
Planning for the future continued during 1991 with completion of a new
178-vehicle parking garage on the western edge of the Hospital campus and
development of plans for a major expansion on the eastern end of the
Harrison Annex housing new Emergency facilities and enlarged Surgery,
Radiology, Cath Lab and Intensive Care areas.
Planning for the future in another way - with a commitment to education
- was reaffirmed in 1990 with Board of Trustees approval for the establishment
of the Southeast Missouri Hospital School of Nursing. The LPN to RN
diploma program, the first of its kind in Missouri, brought an added dimension
to Southeast’s long-standing commitment to Nursing, both within the confines
of the Hospital and the larger scope of community. In late 1993, the School of
Nursing received approval from the State Board of Nursing to transition
(beginning with the fall, 1994 class) to an Associate Degree of Nursing
program.
Establishment of the School of Nursing also marked the continued
growth of the Hospital beyond the boundaries of its campus “on the hill.”
The School of Nursing and the Hospital’s new Pediatric SPOT outpatient
rehabilitation facility for youngsters became neighbors in the city’s west end
in 1991. In late spring of 1994, the School, reidentified as The College of
Nursing, relocated to larger quarters at the corner of Broadway and Sunset.
The College offers both a one-year, intensive course of study or a two-year
track of study, both of which lead to a highly marketable Associate in
Applied Science of Nursing Degree.
An outpatient laboratory and pre-admitting facility had opened at
Doctors’ Park in 1986 as Southeast’s first off-campus venture. Located there
also were Southeast’s Home Health and Hospice Services until they outgrew
those quarters and relocated on Kingshighway in 1990.
In 1990, Southeast established its first outreach office outside Cape
Girardeau. The Hospital’s Jackson Outreach Facility brought to Jackson area
residents regular cholesterol and blood pressure checks, Hospital pre-
22

1990s
admitting and limited lab services, public seminars and Wellness Center
fitness activities.
Hospital Administrator O. D. Niswonger, who guided Southeast through
many of its advances – both brick and mortar and technological – retired in
December of 1990 after a 30-year career with the Hospital. Fourteen of
those years were spent as Administrator. When he began his affiliation with
Southeast in 1961 as assistant administrator, Niswonger recalled that “the
Hospital had 153 beds and employed 231 people. Open heart surgery was
still largely experimental in the United States; harnessing the magnetic field
to see inside the human body was unheard of; and the federal government
hadn’t as much as coined the word ‘Medicare.’”
The strength of the services Southeast has built upon the past six-plus
decades, he reflected, “lies in the dedication and hard work of many
individuals and departments. It truly exemplifies the spirit of Southeast.”
The spirit that Niswonger exemplified during his years with Southeast is
perpetuated through the O.D. Niswonger Spirit of Southeast Award. The
award, which recognizes employees who demonstrate the character and spirit
of Mr. Niswonger, was established in 1991 as a tribute to him.
That Southeast is much more than just an institution was reaffirmed in
1992 with the development of another first for Southeast – a Statement of
Values. Under the guidance of Administrator James W. Wente and through
input from the entire Hospital family – employees, the Board of Trustees, the
Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, the Medical Staff, Volunteers and
Auxilians – Southeast examined the principles upon which the Hospital was
founded and adopted a Statement of Values that reaffirms its commitment to
the provision of health services, given with dignity and compassion, to all the
Hospital serves.
A new Board of Trustees Room, located in the new North Services
Addition, was completed in January 1991. The devotion to Southeast of two
members of the Hospital’s original Board of Trustees – Arthur W. Harrison
and Louis Hecht –was recognized in the fall of 1992 with the dedication of
the Arthur W. Harrison and Louis Hecht Board Room. The dedication,
made possible through a generous gift from Cape Girardeau businessmen
Donald L. Harrison and Martin Hecht, recognized their fathers’ special
commitment to Southeast during its crucial early years.
In 1992, with more people than ever receiving the Hospital’s services,
Southeast embarked on its 12th major expansion program. The five-year,
multi-stage Hospital development program included a climate-controlled
pedestrian corridor connecting the parking garage to the main Hospital; and
a Mechanical building, both completed in 1993.
23

1990s
Arthur W.
Harrison -
Louis Hecht
Board Room.
The keystone of the development program, the 105,000 square foot
Clinical Services Building, was designed by the Christner Partnership. Once
again, as it had many times in the past, the community came forward to
help make the $19 million Clinical Services Building a reality. Through a
campaign coordinated by the Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation,
more than $1.5 million in pledges was received from 754 individuals from
all walks of life.
Three areas of the Clinical Services Building – Emergency Services on
the ground floor, the Surgery Department on the first floor and LifeBeat Air
Medical Service on the fourth and uppermost level – opened in April of
1994. Just three months earlier, in January, the Hospital put into operation a
new component of its heart program, a Chest Pain Center dedicated to
streamlining the care of patients who arrive at Emergency with symptoms
that could indicate an impending heart attack.
The Clinical Services Building was completed in the fall of 1994 with
the opening of a new and expanded Radiology Department; expanded
Cardiology, Medical Lab and Pathology facilities; and a new 12-bed
Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit.
The project, the largest ever for the Hospital, increased by 40 percent
the 250,000 square feet Southeast had under roof at that time. As soon as
that project was completed, the Hospital embarked on the third phase of its
five-year development plan – construction of a new Lobby wing.
26

1990s
Growth in the '90s reached beyond the main Hospital campus as well. In
the summer of 1994, Southeast assumed ownership of Main Street Fitness
Center in Jackson. There, hundreds of families and individuals take part in
fitness and educational offerings designed to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
A new solution to an old problem was introduced to the region in
mid-1996 with the opening of Southeast's Joint Replacement Center.
Designed for patients who elect to have hip, knee or shoulder replacements,
the Joint Replacement Center offers specialized care to return patients to
their normal lifestyles as soon as possible.
With the dedication of Southeast's new Lobby wing on August 4, 1996,
the Hospital opened a new doorway to the future of health care for
generations to come. In addition to a stunning new Lobby, the wing includes
an easily-accessible Patient Registration area, Medical Records, Quality
Management, spacious meeting rooms, a renovated Harrison Room, and
Lacey's On The Hill, a full-service restaurant located on the mezzanine level
of the Lobby.
A focal point in the Lobby is the History of Medicine Mural. The
spectacular mural traces man's remarkable progress in medicine. The work of
art was made possible through a generous gift to the Southeast Missouri
Main Street Fitness Center offers comprehensive fitness and wellness
activities, childcare for members and corporate discounts.
27

1990s
Hospital Foundation from the estate of John W. Wiseman of Cape
Girardeau, a longtime friend of Southeast. On the mural, St. Louis artist
John Hunn depicts some of the men and women who dedicated their lives to
science and whose discoveries have been the springboard for further
advancements.
Also dedicated in 1996 was the Hospital Foundation's Commemorative
Brick Garden located adjacent to the Lobby. In this peaceful outdoor garden
spot, more than 855 inscribed bricks have been placed in honor or memory
of individuals.
When Southeast opened in 1928, its commitment was to provide quality
healthcare services for generations to come. The opening in March 1997 of
the Generations Family Resource Center underscored that commitment and
extended the Hospital's long-standing emphasis on family-focused care into
the community in a new and innovative way. Generations, located on the
first floor near the Lobby, is a walk-in service that provides a link between
the Hospital, area families and many other resources that together help the
community link generations for a better tomorrow.
Generations' catalog of services includes a large video and print library;
no-cost Internet access for health-related issues; wellness screenings and
clinics, classes and seminars on a variety of health and healthy lifestyle topics
and much more.
Southeast
Missouri
Hospital's Lobby
features an
impressive
History of
Medicine Mural.
28

1990s
The Generations
Family Resource
Center serves
thousands of
individuals
annually.
Utilization of Southeast's in-Hospital Skilled Nursing Facility resulted in
expansion of that service in late 1997. The unit, which provides skilled care
beyond the acute phase of an illness, doubled in size, increasing from a 10 to
a 20-bed unit. Demand for intensive care beds also led to an increase in that
service with the addition of seven additional ICU beds, bringing the total
number of ICU beds to 21.
Also in 1997, almost 70 years after Southeast opened its doors, the
Hospital completed the final step of its five-year development plan. That
project, the redesign of the northwest exterior facade, gives the Hospital a
sleek, unified architectural appearance. As part of that project, the Hospital
campus was further beautified by the installation of underground utilities, a
new exterior lighting system and installation of specially designed banners.
The razing of nine houses on Hospital property has increased green space
and allows for an expansive view of the Hospital from Broadway.
Hospital services continued to expand in 1998 as well. In January,
Southeast Outpatient Rehabilitation Services opened its new 15,000 square
foot facility on the upper level of 60 Doctors' Park. Here, a broad scope of
services for children and adults are available, including the services of
Physical Therapy Associates and the Pediatric SPOT.
PT Associates, which had been located on the lower level of 60 Doctors'
Park since 1988, became a part of Southeast's Rehabilitation Services in
1995. The Pediatric SPOT had been located near Doctors' Park on
Professional Court since 1991. Prior to that time, rehabilitation therapy
29

1990s
services for youngsters were a part of the Hospital's in-house Rehabilitation
Services Department.
Southeast’s College of Nursing received approval from the State Board
of Nursing to increase enrollment from 35 to 45 students. To accommodate
its growing class size, the Hospital renovated a building adjacent to the
College for classroom use.
Within the community, Southeast reached out in a new and innovative
way with its Parish Nursing Program. Working primarily through churches,
the Parish Nursing Program established in 1998 offers programs that meet
the needs of individuals and groups with education, service and resource
awareness.
And within the Hospital, Southeast in 1998 implemented its new
Hospitalist Services program. Under this new concept of care, adults and
children who report to Emergency Services with no physician on staff and
who need to be admitted to the Hospital have their care managed
throughout their inpatient stay by a Hospitalist.
In the fall of 1998, the region’s first Electrophysiology Lab opened at
Southeast. Electrophysiology, the study, diagnosis and treatment of heart
Students prepare for nursing and other healthcare careers at
Southeast Missouri Hospital's College of Nursing & Health Sciences.
30

1990s - 2000s
arrythmias, was until the mid-1990s housed primarily within the university
setting. Patients who previously had to travel to St. Louis or Memphis for
Electrophysiology mapping studies or ablation now receive those highly
specialized services close to home.
Southeast in 1999 reaffirmed its commitment to helping provide
healthcare education opportunities with two new programs. At the Hospital’s
College of Nursing, a new Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program for
individuals without prior healthcare experience was implemented. And in
partnership with the Hospital’s neighbor, Southeast Missouri State University,
a new program leading to a B.S. Degree in Medical Technology was
introduced. After three years in the University setting, students complete an
11-month clinical in Southeast Hospital’s Lab.
Offering education and support for limited income, first-time parents
was the focus of a new prenatal and early childhood nurse visitation program
known as “Building Blocks.” Southeast was one of two Missouri institutions
to receive funding in late 1999 from the Missouri Department of Health for
implementation of the program, a model for the state of Missouri.
The Hospital, like most healthcare organizations throughout the
nation, addressed the multitude of complex issues associated with Y2K. In
preparation for a new century, more than 800 different types of equipment
and more than 4,000 pieces of medical equipment were checked. An
estimated $1.8 million was spent on equipment upgrades or replacements -
all in the name of patient safety.
2000 and Beyond
As one century ended and another began with the simple sweep of a
second hand, Southeast Missouri Hospital embarked on an exciting new
dimension in its healthcare history, highlighted by the development of new
services and new facilities.
In January, 2000, the Hospital opened a Sleep Lab designed to provide
evaluation, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up for people with a number of
common sleep disorders.
The Hospital’s College of Nursing was back in the news with a name
change to the College of Nursing & Health Sciences. The name was adopted
to more accurately reflect the scope of healthcare career programs available
at the college. The scope of programs continued to broaden in 2000 with the
addition of a Surgical Technology Program. With that program came a
much-needed college expansion – construction of an Operating Room Lab
and an additional Nursing Lab.
31

2000s
Southeast has offered uninterrupted obstetrics services since it opened
and has been an important part of precious beginnings for tens of thousands
of families. The Hospital in 2000 filed a Certificate of Need application with
the Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee for a sweeping $4.3 million
redesign of the Dennis B. Elrod, M.D., Obstetrics and Gynecology Center.
The redesign would feature 15 spacious, private birthing suites, a triage area,
two operating suites for cesarean births, a new Nursery and a new Neonatal
Special Care Unit.
Since its founding, Southeast’s Board of Trustees has been committed to
providing the most up-to-date in medical equipment, and 2000 proved no
exception to that rule. In late fall, the Hospital’s Regional Brain and Spine
Center implemented a highly sophisticated wireless image guided neuro
navigational system. This system, the most advanced in the region, enables
neurosurgeons at the Regional Brain and Spine Center to perform
complicated and delicate surgeries to remove tumors and other abnormalities
of the brain.
Patients in need of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies received
the latest in MRI technology at Southeast’s MRImaging Center with the
2001 installation of a new 1.5 Tesla strength unit. The new magnet has
capabilities for the latest neuro and cardiovascular imaging as well as
standard MRI capabilities. The $1.7 million project replaced a magnet in
use at Southeast since early 1991.
The first year of the new millennium – 2001 – brought with it many
developments for Southeast Missouri Hospital. Throughout its history, the
Regional Heart Center has led the way in bringing new developments in
cardiac and vascular care to the region. In early 2001, Southeast’s Regional
Heart Center and Cape Girardeau’s Cardiac and Vascular Surgeons,
introduced endovascular triple-A repair, a new, minimally invasive treatment
option for individuals with abdominal aortic aneurysm.
In June, Southeast became the first hospital in the region to offer
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, a medical treatment of specifically indicated
conditions in which a patient breathes 100 percent oxygen in a pressurized
chamber at elevated pressures. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is considered an
important and exciting adjunctive therapy for a number of chronic
conditions, including wound care.
Also in June, Southeast’s campus more than doubled in size with the
acquisition of 25 acres on the present westernmost boundaries of Cape
Girardeau. The land parcel was acquired from the Armstrong Heritage
Trust, Inc., with the Armstrong family donating 4.2 acres of land in
memory of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. J. Armstrong, who for many
32

2000s
years operated a dairy farm on the land. The land was set aside for future
Hospital development.
With its completely redesigned Web site, Southeast in 2001 opened its
doors to the world. The Web site offers an in-depth look at many Hospital
services and Online Health @ to Z, a comprehensive health resource with
more than 3,000 pages of information. The Hospital’s investment in
providing such extensive health information was in keeping with its longstanding
commitment to education. One of the most popular stops is
Southeast’s Web Nursery B@bies Online. Since offering the free service in
December, 2000, Southeast has posted more than 2,500 baby photographs on
the Web site. Total visits to Southeast’s Web site mushroomed from 892 in
August of 2000 to almost 65,000 in January 2003.
Outside the main Hospital, the 21-acre campus took on a more
aesthetically appealing look. Two restaurants along Broadway on property
owned by the Hospital were razed, creating an expansive view of the Hospital
and a landscaped lawn with a consistent contour.
Inside, work was completed on two projects. Southeast’s Regional Brain
and Spine Center opened a new 17-bed Inpatient Rehab Unit, accredited by
the Missouri Department of Health and Medicare, on the fourth floor of the
main Hospital. The unit provides care for patients recovering from strokes,
Southeast’s new MRI features diagnostic capabilities previously available only
in metropolitan medical centers.
33

2000s
amputations, multiple trauma, neurological disorders, orthopedic conditions,
poly-arthritis and traumatic brain injury. And the newly-expanded Auxiliary
Gift Shop delighted employees and visitors with its large merchandise
selection and extensive floral services. With the gift shop expansion came a
new name for the flourishing volunteer enterprise - Wishing Well Gift Shop.
2002 was another extraordinary year for Southeast. Early in the year,
the Hospital’s corporate logo, in use for more than 20 years, received a
facelift transforming it into a progressive, contemporary logo without
sacrificing the identity and significance of Southeast’s previous logo.
Construction continued to be evident in the Hospital as the finishing
touches were put on the $4.3 million Elrod OB/GYN redesign. In June,
several thousand visitors, many who delivered babies at Southeast during the
construction period, returned to see the new unit and take part in an open
house celebrating the project’s completion. A nursing staff of more than 90
with 900 years of combined experience has now welcomed more than
68,000 babies into the world.
Special ceremonies were held in June to dedicate the new Nursery in the
memory of Jesse R. Ramsey, D.O., a pediatrician who was well-known and
respected throughout the Midwest for his work in developing neonatal and
Launched in 2001,
the Hospital’s
Website in 2003
underwent a
major redesign
with the addition
of interactive
components and
virtual tours.
www.southeastmissourihospital.com.
34

2000s
Southeast Administrator James W. Wente announces the purchase of 25 acres
of land in Cape Girardeau’s west end at a media conference. The land will
be held for future Hospital development.
pediatric services at Southeast Missouri Hospital and in this area. At the time
of his death in 2000, Dr. Ramsey was Southeast’s lead Pediatric Hospitalist.
Also in June, another special ceremony was held at Southeast to rename
its Department of Pediatrics in memory of longtime Cape Girardeau
physician and Southeast friend James A. Kinder, M.D. Dr. Kinder was
instrumental in helping Southeast establish its Department of Pediatrics in
the 1960s and its Pediatric Special Care Unit in 1981.
A highlight of the year was the July construction start on the 13th major
addition in the Hospital’s almost 75-year history. The Board of Trustees in
May approved construction of two new medical/surgical floors atop the
Harrison Annex, along with a sweeping renovation of five existing nursing
units. The $16 million project, scheduled for completion in 2005, would
increase the number of private patient rooms throughout the Hospital from
39 to 107.
New services added in 2002 included a Pediatric Sleep Lab, an adjunct
to the Hospital’s Adult Sleep Lab, and a Southeast Missouri Hospital
Outpatient Rehabilitation satellite at Southeast’s Main Street Fitness.
Another new service, Positron Emisson Tomography (PET), added for
physicians unique diagnostic data, particularly in the diagnosis and staging of
many cancers. The scanner, the same as those used by nationally-known
35

2000s
Birthing suites in the redesigned Dennis B. Elrod, M.D., Obstetrics and
Gynecology Center are designed for the family.
cancer centers, also brought cutting-edge applications in Cardiology and
Neurology to the region.
In April of 2002, the Hospital filed a Certificate of Need (CON)
application with the Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee in
Jefferson City for a new multi-million dollar linear accelerator at Southeast’s
Regional Cancer Center. The new unit replaces one of two linear
accelerators now in use at the Regional Cancer Center. It features Intensity
Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), a new form of radiation therapy
that uses computer-generated images to plan and deliver more tightly focused
radiation beams to cancerous tumors than is possible with conventional
radiation therapy. Using a computerized tool called a Multileaf Collimator,
the radiation beam is virtually “painted” on the contours of an irregularly
shaped tumor.
At Southeast’s College of Nursing & Health Sciences, yet another new
education option was added – a two-year certificate program in Radiography.
And Southeast employees and visitors found mealtime more pleasant
in the Hospital’s renovated Cafeteria. The redesign, the first since 1984,
was in cooperation with the Hospital’s longtime food service partner,
Sodexho Corporation.
36

2000s
Also in early 2003, Cardiac and Vascular Surgeons relocated its practice
to Southeast, and the Regional Cancer Center’s Chemotherapy Department
became Infusion Services, reflecting the significant growth of non-chemo
related infusion procedures.
The X-ray machine that Southeast so proudly displayed at the District
Fair in 1928 has long been history, but in 2003 the Hospital’s Radiology
Department made history again by becoming the first hospital in the
community to implement Digital Imaging. The new enterprise technology
allows physicians to view radiology studies and reports securely, whenever
and wherever they have access to a computer. This capability also allows
on-line consultation with multiple physicians and the radiologist at the
same time, with all reviewing the same image.
Southeast began to expand once again after approval by the Board of
Trustees to construct a 75,000 square foot, four-floor medical office building
on the Broadway side of the main Hospital campus. Groundbreaking
ceremonies were held in December of 2003, at which time it was announced
that the Board of Trustees had voted unanimously to name the Lobby of
Southeast Medical Plaza in honor of the late Charles L. Hutson, who worked
For faster diagnosis and treatment, Southeast’s
Radiology Department has teamed with Emageon
to bring Digital Imaging to the Cape medical
community.
37

2000s
tirelessly to develop facilities and services at Southeast and guide the Hospital
through more than three decades of phenomenal growth and challenging
healthcare issues.
Something not even heard of in 1928 – the Web – expanded its offerings
in 2003 to include virtual tours, an online pharmacy, online registration for
classes, an online gift shop and virtual cards for patients. Southeast’s Web site
also hit a new usage record in 2003. Nearly 65,000 visitors accessed 284,737
pages on the Web site in March alone. A year later, in March 2004, the
Hospital’s Web site registered more two million hits and nearly 80,000 visitors
– another new record.
In the fall of 2004, the excellence of Southeast’s nursing staff
– along with the dedication and expertise of the Hospital’s
entire staff – earned Southeast the Magnet Nursing Services
Recognition Award, the highest honor a hospital can receive
for patient care. Of the nation’s more than 6,000 hospitals,
fewer than three percent were Magnet hospitals; Southeast became
the first hospital in Missouri outside a metropolitan area to merit the award,
which underscored what Theresia Norberg knew more than 80 years ago:
Southeast’s nurses and staff are dedicated professionals.
Southeast’s commitment not only to excellence in nursing but also to
making world class technology available close to home continued in 2004
when the Hospital made available Novalis ® Shaped Beam Surgery TM
manufactured by BrainLAB. Novalis offers unsurpassed precision to treat
benign and malignant tumors of the brain, prostate and other areas of the
38
Southeast in 2004 became one of fewer than 50
medical centers worldwide to offer Novalis ® Shaped
Beam Surgery TM .

2000s
With the opening of HealthPoint Plaza, Southeast further extended its
reach into the community.
body as well as treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and other neurological
disorders.
The Hospital extended its reach into the community and reaffirmed its
commitment to another community program in 2004. Southeast introduced
HealthWorks, a unique program designed to build a bridge between area
employers and the Hospital, help businesses manage and track employee
wellness and develop customized onsite employee health initiatives.
And Southeast marked the 30 th year of the Auxiliary’s Meals on
Wheels program in Cape Girardeau and recognized its dedicated cadre of
volunteers. Originated in 1974 with just seven clients, the program in 2004
served between 70 and 80 people a day. Southeast’s Regional Heart Center
also observed an anniversary – its 20 th . Thousdands of cardiac and vascular
surgeries have been performed in the more than two decades since 1984,
when Southeast introduced that vital service to the region.
Another bridge was built in 2004 when Southeast and SSM Cardinal
Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis partnered to build a bridge to a
brighter future for the children of southeast Missouri and southern Illinois.
The support of this nationally-recognized pediatric hospital means that
additional consultation, training and care are just a phone call or short
distance away.
39

2000s
Encouraging people to take more responsibility for their own health was
the foundation of Southeast’s new medically integrated fitness and
rehabilitation center, HealthPoint Plaza. Conveniently located at
Kingshighway and Independence in Cape Girardeau, the plaza includes
HealthPoint Fitness encompassing about 39,000 square feet and, relocated
from Doctors’ Park, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation services
encompassing about 18,000 square feet.
As Southeast entered 2005, the Hospital’s legacy of commitment to
education resulted in a new home for the College of Nursing and Health
Sciences. To better accommodate its growing number of students in
nursing and several other healthcare programs, the college was relocated to
spacious quarters on the second and third floors of the Bank of America
building located on William Street, several blocks from the main Hospital
campus. The quality education provided by the College was reaffirmed in
mid-2005 when the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central
Association of Colleges and Schools gave the institution an initial five-year
accreditation. Since the College opened in 1991 with 15 students, 402
students have graduated.
Within the Hospital, growth in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
(NICU) resulted in more than doubling the number of beds in its Level III
40
The three-year, $16 million bed modernization project that began in
2002 also was completed and patients began experiencing the large,
comfortable rooms with amenities that included large televisions,
DVD players and baths with showers and hairdryers.

2000s
NICU, established as downstate Missouri’s first NICU in 1979.
A key component of services for women at Southeast was redefined to
provide a unique approach to comprehensive breast care with the opening of
the Breast Care and Diagnostic Center at 60 Doctors’ Park in early 2006.
The most advanced breast care services are available at the Center, including
the latest digital mammography technology. Physician care is provided by
Cape Surgical Clinic, Inc., with Southeast providing diagnostic imaging that
includes X-ray, ultrasound, digital mammography and bone density.
Back “on the hill,” in February Southeast became the third hospital in
Missouri and the first community hospital to offer robotic-assisted surgery for
prostatectomies using the da Vinci ® Surgical System. Nationwide, there were
fewer than 400 da Vinci ® systems. Early 2006 also marked completion of an
$8.5 million addition to the Surgery Department and other areas within the
Hospital. The expansion increased the number of operating suites used by
the more than 60 physicians who practice surgery at Southeast from 14 to 18.
In addition to the Surgery expansion, the project included additional square
footage for the Cardiovascular Laboratory, the Department of Radiology and
the Department of Emergency Medicine. The Hospital’s Sleep Lab also
increased in size from two beds to four, with one room equipped for
individuals with special needs.
Just as on Dedication Day in 1928, a large crowd gathered at Southeast
in late spring to be the first to inspect Southeast Medical Plaza. In addition to
physician practices, the building houses a number of ancillary services,
including Southeast’s retail pharmacy, which got a new name – Plaza
Pharmacy. In Jackson, Main Street Fitness also got a new name –
HealthPoint Fitness.
Southeast’s ongoing commitment to chest pain patients resulted in
accreditation by the Society of Chest Pain Centers, a nationally recognized
professional organization. At the time of Southeast’s accreditation, there were
only 233 designated chest pain centers in the United States. The Hospital
also earned the gold Seal of Approval TM from The Joint Commission for
Primary Stroke Centers following an unannounced, on-site review.
Southeast’s heart program was highlighted when the Hospital received the
American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines – Coronary Artery
Disease Silver Performance Achievement Award in recognition of Southeast’s
commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of cardiac care
that effectively improves treatment of patients hospitalized with coronary
artery disease.
Cognizant that diabetes in Missouri was at near epidemic proportions, in
January of 2007, Southeast, in partnership with the International Diabetes
41

2000s
The lobby of Southeast Medical Plaza is dedicated to the memory of
longtime Hospital Trustee Charles L. Hutson, who had an influential role in
the development of the Medical Plaza.
Center (IDC) in Minneapolis, MN, established a new Diabetes Center on
the lower level of 60 Doctors’ Park. The healthcare professionals at the
Diabetes Center use a patient-centered, team approach to help people with
diabetes learn to live well.
The high utilization of the Hospital’s Level III NICU and a
commitment to helping its tiniest patients get a strong foothold in life
resulted in the addition of a monthly Neonatal Development Clinic
designed to offer follow-up for high risk and premature infants in their first
two years.
As the region’s leader in cancer care for four decades, Southeast’s
Regional Cancer Center continued to add to its arsenal to battle cancer
with MammoSite® high-dose radiation therapy for the treatment of some
early stage breast tumors. Also added in the Radiation Therapy
Department was a new X-ray therapy system, the only one of its kind in
the region, specifically designed to treat skin cancer. Mindful that the
internet was rapidly becoming the portal of choice for people who want to
know more about technology to fight cancer, Southeast in 2007 introduced
www.technologyofhope.com, the Novalis Web site that contains useful
information for both physicians and patients. Exciting new technology also
was made available to stroke patients when Southeast became the only
Missouri hospital to offer the NESS H200 TM for hands and the
42

2000s
NESSL300 TM for legs. Distributed by Bioness, Inc., both use functional
electronic stimulation to stimulate and activate muscles affected by stroke
or injury.
Response to a rapid growth in membership at HealthPoint Fitness in
Cape (in early 2006, the center already had exceeded its five-year
membership goal) came to fruition in fall 2007 with the completion of a
13,260 square foot expansion that included the addition of a second
swimming pool designed for lap swimming, additional exercise studios, an
expanded cycle studio with video technology that simulates rides through
the countryside, a state-of-the-art free weight area and more.
As it has done since its inception, Southeast continued building for the
future in 2007 by beginning construction on a 3,000 square foot expansion
to Emergency Services that will bring the total number of exam rooms to
22, and provide a larger outpatient registration area, an expanded triage
area and an ER Lab as well as an electronic medical records system. Work
also got underway on a new Pediatrics Unit to be located on the first floor
of the Hospital.
Southeast Missouri Hospital’s popular Web site continued to expand
with information and interactivity in 2006 and 2007.
Each day, millions of people go online to search for health information,
Members of HealthPoint Fitness utilize top-of-the-line exercise equipment
in attractive surroundings.
43

2000s
and Southeast beefed up its Online Health @ to Z with breaking news,
monthly newsletters and “The Interactive Body” with 17 animations of
common tests and procedures. The Hospital also expanded its online
quizzes and calculators, and added risk assessments for heart disease and
prostate.
In 2006, Southeast launched a new Web site for HealthPoint Plaza,
including information, schedules, and e-blasts for fitness, rehab, wellness,
nutrition and much more. The Hospital added a new Physician
Recruitment Web site in 2007, along with a new Web site for its College of
Nursing & Health Sciences.
In 2007, Southeast Missouri Hospital became the first hospital in the
region to go wireless campuswide.
B@bies Online continued to be one of the most popular destinations of
Web surfers, and by late 2007 more than 9,000 baby photos had been posted
since Southeast’s Web nursery began. The Hospital also added a digital
billboard of baby photos in late 2007, and a preview can be found online.
Southeast marked the beginning of its 80 th year of service on
January 9 with the unveiling of a sweeping three-dimensional mural
depicting the Hospital’s rich history from the mid 1920s through the
present. Before a crowd of guests and Hospital staff, President and CEO
James W. Wente, FACHE, CPA, briefly recounted the Hospital’s founding
With easy access to the interstate, the recently completed Southeast Missouri
Hospital West Campus provides health services to the region.
44

2000s
Southeast Missouri Hospital—serving the region for 80 years.
and dedication day. From 48 births and 868 admissions in 1928, Southeast
has progressed annually to 1,300 births, nearly 12,000 inpatient stays and
approximately 100,000 outpatient registrations.
Visible progress also continued on projects started in 2007. Because
the Hospital’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit is frequently at 100 percentplus
occupancy, work will soon begin converting the vacated Pediatrics
Unit, relocated to the first floor, to OB suites. Once completed, the number
of OB suites with top of the line amenities will expand from 19 to 25.
The civic leaders, whose dream was born in 1924 and realized in
1928, would be proud of the Hospital they created. Today, Southeast
Missouri Hospital’s reach extends far beyond the horizons that can be seen
from the hill on which it is located. The heartbeat of progress is strong and
steady at Southeast. A recognized center of excellence serving a population
of nearly 600,000 people, Southeast Missouri Hospital established by the
people for the people is serving its people well.
45

Administrators
During its 80-year history, Southeast Missouri Hospital has been served
by 10 administrators, three of whom also served as presidents of the Missouri
Hospital Association, as noted by the * after their names.
Administrators by years:
Theresia M. Norberg
October 1, 1927 to January 12, 1931
Miss Frances M. Shouse (acting)
January 12, 1931 to February 1, 1932
Dr. B.A. Wilkes*
February 1, 1932 to June 1, 1933
T.J. McGinty*
June 1, 1933 to July 12, 1938
L.A. Johnson
July 12, 1938 to January 1, 1944
True Taylor
January 1, 1944 to January 1, 1946
Herbert S. Wright*
January 1, 1946 to April 1, 1967
James R. Stricker
May 1, 1967 to November 16, 1976
O.D. Niswonger†
November 17, 1976 to December 31, 1990
James W. Wente*††
January 1, 1991 to Present
† Recipient of the Missouri Hospital Association Outstanding Service Award
†† Recipient of the Missouri Hospital Association Visionary Leadership Award
46