Mural depicts history of Southeast Missouri Hospital

A three-dimensional mural depicting the history of Southeast Missouri Hospital was unveiled Wednesday in the Hospital Link, adjacent to the main lobby at Southeast, as part of the hospital's 80th anniversary. The mural is 30 feet long and 9 feet tall. Southeast president and chief executive officer James W. Wente briefly recounted the hospital's founding on the westernmost boundary of Cape Girardeau and its opening in 1928, when 5,000 people braved the cold to celebrate the dedication of the new hospital. During its first year of operation, Wente said Southeast recorded 48 births and admitted 868 patients, in contrast to last year when 1,300 babies were born and the hospital recorded nearly 12,000 inpatient stays and about 100,000 outpatient registrations. The mural was designed by Abby Petzoldt.