HOSPITAL PRESIDENT TO RETIRE; KEUSENKOTHEN WILL STEP DOWN SEPT. 30

John J. Keusenkothen, president of St. Francis Medical Center since 1976, announced Tuesday he will retire from his position, effective Sept. 30.

In making his announcement, Keusenkothen added that he has agreed to continue in a consulting capacity following his retirement to help ensure a smooth transition for his successor, who has not yet been named.

St. Francis Board of Directors Chairman Maurice "Moe" Sandfort said Keusenkothen contacted him Tuesday morning to inform the board of his retirement plans.

"We wish John the best in his retirement and we appreciate his leadership and service over the past 23 years," Sandfort said.

Keusenkothen, known as "John K" among the St. Francis staff, joined St. Francis Hospital as controller in 1968. He became the hospital's financial administrator in 1969 and advanced to the position of associate administrator in 1972.

"It has been my privilege to serve with such an outstanding group of physicians, employees and volunteers," Keusenkothen said in a statement.

"It is their spirit that has made me very proud to have been a part of this `family' for so many years. No administrator has ever been privileged to serve with a more outstanding team."

He could not be reached for additional comment.

During Keusenkothen's 23 years of leadership, St. Francis experienced the most significant period of growth in its 116-year history. He helped oversee the hospital's transition from a 125-bed location on Good Hope Street to the Medical Center's current 264-bed facility on Route K near I-55.

Keusenkothen has supervised the development and construction of several expansions at St. Francis Medical Center, including the 20-bed Campbell Critical Care Center, St. Francis Same Day Surgery, the Dr. Thomas G. Otto Pavilion, the Gene E. Huckstep Emergency and Trauma Center and the hospital's cardiovascular/education wing.

Numerous patient care programs and community services have been established under his leadership, including the area's first neurosurgery program; alcoholism and chemical dependency treatment in the St. Francis Center for Recovery; the St. Francis Heart Institute; breast cancer screening and other women's health services through the St. Francis Womancare Program; the St. Francis Skilled Nursing Facility; the St. Francis Sleep Well Center for the evaluation and treatment of disorders such as sleep apnea; and the St. Francis Information Center at Jackson.

Also during Keusenkothen's presidency, several medical and surgical advances have been introduced at the medical center, including magnetic resonance imaging, computerized axial tomography (CT scanning), laser surgery, and lithotripsy, a non-surgical method of removing kidney stones.

Keusenkothen, a resident of Jackson, is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and the Hospital Executive Development Program at St. Louis University.

He has served as president of the Southeast Missouri Council of Hospital Administrators and has been a member of the American College of Hospital Administrators. He is a member of the American Hospital Association, the Missouri Hospital Association and is a past board member of the Hospital Financial Managers Association. He is also a member of the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club and the Cape Girardeau Country Club.

His wife, Annabelle, is a volunteer at St. Francis. The Keusenkothens have five children and several grandchildren.

Keusenkothen is the second Cape Girardeau hospital administrator to retire this year. O.D. Niswonger, longtime administrator at Southeast Missouri Hospital, retired Jan. 1.