PERRY HOSPITAL HEAD TO TAKE NEW JOB

Pat Bira will become adminstrator of St. John's Mercy Hospital in Washington, Mo.

After nearly nine years at the helm, Pat Bira is leaving the top post at Perry County Memorial Hospital for an institution twice its size.

On Aug. 25, Bira is scheduled to become administrator of St. John's Mercy Hospital in Washington, Mo., a 185-bed hospital that is part of St. Louis-based St. John's Mercy Health System. His last day at 87-bed Perry County Hospital will be Aug. 8.

Bira's departure has put the efforts to privatize the running of Perry County Hospital "on the back burner," said Bill Wingerter, president of the hospital's elected board of trustees.

Wingerter said the board favors making the change but will wait until a new administrator is on board before going forward. Bira said the proposed change can wait because the hospital is doing well now. He proposed privatization because he believes it will position the hospital to better cope in the future.

If a private board operated the hospital, it could transact more business and operate with fewer legal restrictions, he said.

Now, Wingerter said, the board's biggest task is finding Bira's replacement.

Bira's assistant, Patrick Carron, will be interim director while the board searches for a replacement, Wingerter said.

The board has contacted the Missouri Hospital Association, which will publicize the opening. The application deadline will be 30 days after the association posts it, Wingerter said.

Bira said he would recommend Carron to be his successor "without reservation."

Since Bira took over in October 1988, every part of the hospital has been renovated, the number of physicians on staff has risen from eight to 13, the hospital has built medical offices across the street and has brought in specialists from out of town to operate one-day clinics. In addition, the Perry County Nursing Home, which the hospital administers, has built a new wing.

Wingerter, who has served on the board for the length of Bira's tenure, credits Bira for making the changes.

The 38-year-old Bira said he is making the move to be closer to his family in St. Louis.

It also appears to be a good career move, since the hospital is larger and part of a larger chain. A Catholic, Bira said he feels comfortable with the mission of Catholic hospitals like St. John's Mercy.