Business memo 11/25/02

Hospital's projects honored for excellence

Southeast Missouri Hospital's Marketing and Communications Department has received statewide recognition for seven projects that the hospital produced this year to educate and inform community and area residents on a variety of health-related issues.

The Show Me Excellence award, presented by the Missouri Association for Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing, recognizes high achievement and quality in the various communications and public relations projects that hospitals and health care systems undertake each year to inform Missourians about health care.

Awards were presented Nov. 9 in conjunction with the annual Missouri Hospital Association Annual Convention and Trade Show held at Osage Beach, Mo.

The hospital received several top awards for such spots as "Regional Center for Women's and Children's Services," "Be the Difference" and "Online Health."

Missouri labor market sluggish in October

According to the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the state's unemployment rate dipped one-tenth of a point to 4.5 percent and nonfarm payroll employment grew at a much slower pace than normal in October.

The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up slightly by one-tenth of point to 4.9 percent in October. Both the adjusted and unadjusted rate are the same as they were in October 2001. Missouri's unemployment remains well below the nation's October unemployment rate of 5.7 percent.

-- From staff, wire reports