CAPE HOSPITAL READIES FOR NEW LEADER AT HELM

In the medical field, one becomes accustomed to change. New equipment and techniques constantly upgrade hospitals and medical facilities and services.

Come Tuesday, Southeast Missouri Hospital will experience a distinct kind of change. After 29 years in administration, O.D. Niswonger will retire. In turn, James Wente will take over the helm.

The hospital and community owe considerable thanks to Niswonger's years of dedication and direction.

He has guided the hospital through tremendous growth. When he was hired as assistant administrator in 1961, the staff numbered about 230. Today, it one of Cape Girardeau's top employers with about 1,200 workers.

Much of the growing staff has been required to handle countless new services and treatments. Southeast continues to be on the cutting edge of medical advancements, and Niswonger has led the advancements with soft-spoken gusto. Serving as administrator since 1976, he recalls only one month when there was no building program or long-range plan in some stage of development.

To work in the medical field, one has to be willing to change with the times and technologies. Niswonger aptly met the challenge - keeping up with the trends like a trooper. In fact, his extensive hospital knowledge has earned him respect both statewide and nationally, serving on numerous advisory boards.

A hospital is a job about people. Through the years, it's also been a job about numbers. The cost of medicine has soared along with the mountains of government red tape. That's why Wente represents a smart choice as the new hospital chief. As associate administrator and chief financial officer, he is well schooled in hospital operations and economics. He promises to be an effective leader.

Under new leadership, Southeast Missouri Hospital will no doubt continue to keep pace with the changing medical field. The healthy foundation laid by Niswonger should provide a solid structure for continued hospital growth.

We wish Niswonger well in his retirement. Cape Girardeau is a better place for his years of care and service at Southeast Missouri Hospital.