HOSPITAL'S FUND DRIVE ECLIPSES $1 MILLION

Southeast Missouri Hospital's capital campaign has passed a notable milestone in its campaign to raise $1.7 million this year.

"We have passed the $1 million mark," said J. Charles Stotz, director of Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation, which is conducting the fund drive.

The capital campaign is being conducted to support the hospital's east clinical services building now under construction.

"We feel great about the campaign," said Stotz. "The support of the hospital family and community has been nothing short of outstanding."

Stotz said the campaign had neared completion of the "family" phase of the drive, which included hospital employees, trustees, medical staff, volunteers, association members and the Foundation Board of Directors.

He said campaign commitment by the hospital family includes pledges totaling $155,955 from employees ($30,955 over goal); $187,100 from the board of trustees and Foundation board ($56,000 over goal); and pledges of $190,240 from the auxiliary and hospital association.

"The community phase of this campaign started in late May," said Stotz. "This included the general public, corporate and major donations."

He said the general public phase of the campaign will wind down this month.

"We should wrap up the public phase by Aug. 31," said Stotz. "We'll continue the corporate and major gifts campaign over the next couple of months. We hope to have reached our goal of $1.7 million by then."

The donation that put the campaign over the million-dollar mark was a $100,000 anonymous donation, said Stotz.

"This puts us at $1,081,000," said Stotz Tuesday. "Every penny of the monies from the capital drive will be used to support the new east clinical service building."

Hugh Logan and Martha Farrow campaign division workers and Stotz met at the construction site Tuesday to announce the campaign milestone.

Construction on the $19 million building is moving along well, said Wayne Meyer, superintendent for Kiefner Construction, the primary contractor.

"The groundwork was completed at 11 a.m. this (Tuesday) morning when we blasted out the last large rock, and work is already under way on the foundation walls, said Meyer.

"We'll start with the first phase of steelwork as soon as the foundation walls are in place," said Meyer.

The proposed four-level, 105,000-square-foot structure will increase by 40 percent the 250,000 square feet Southeast has under roof. It will house new emergency services and radiology departments; expanded surgery services (including four new operating rooms); cardiology services and clinical lab services; and a new heliport and support services for LifeBeat, the hospital's emergency air medical service.

The building is expected to be ready for occupancy in spring 1995.

"Progress has traditionally been a part of Southeast Missouri Hospital," said Stotz. "There can be no finer example of that philosophy of growth than the east clinical service building."