STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. – Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital has been named in the 2024 Becker’s Hospital Review list of 150 Best Places to Work in Healthcare. The Becker’s list highlights hospitals and health systems that prioritize workplace excellence and the happiness, satisfaction, well-being of their employees.
SGCMH CEO Dr. Steve Pautler is excited to make this year’s list. (A Focus interview with Pautler will be broadcast on Classic County 980 am and 105.3 fm KSGM radio Tuesday in the noon and 5 p.m. reports.)
“This award is in recognition of our work together as a team as we carry out our mission of putting people first by providing excellent, personalized and compassionate healthcare,” said Pautler. “Healthcare is really looked at as a calling for a lot of people,” he said. “They work in healthcare because of the passion that is kindled in them. Sometimes from personal experiences, sometimes from the desire to help their fellow man, and sometimes it’s just because they see the good that it does and they want to be a part of it. We’re very blessed to have that mission focus in all of our employees.”
While salaries are important, Pautler explained it’s not the only deciding factor for employees.
“We try to be competitive on salaries, of course, because we want to be fair, but there’s so much more to working in healthcare,” said Pautler. “It’s a very demanding 24-hour operation. We never close no matter what. We rely on everyone being at their very best at all times for the patients whose very lives and health depend on us.”
It’s also rewarding for Pautler to know that the Becker’s Review compares hospitals all across the country.
“We’re being compared to not just southeast Missouri, we’re being compared to 500-bed hospitals in San Diego, New York or Florida, and some of those hospitals made the list, so we feel very excited that we are recognized along with those very large hospitals. Becker’s is a nationally well-respected healthcare news organization, and we’re very fortunate to be considered among the top 150 healthcare organizations among the 5,000 hospitals in the U.S.”
Pautler said having gained the recognition from Becker’s is a source of pride for employees as well.
“It’s nice to have validation,” he said. “Even though we have lots of challenges, the fact that we’re doing very well, especially compared with these really premier organizations, is a reason for pride among the people who work here. They’re the ones making it happen.”
Pautler is the first to say that the national recognition is a team effort.
“There is no such thing as a workplace that excels unless everyone is committed to the success of the organization, the mission, and the support of each other,” he explained. “We consistently hear comments from patients about the care and support that they get from the housekeepers, food service staff, front desk volunteers–everyone throughout the organization. Anyone a patient meets in the hallway could make the difference between them having a great day and not knowing what to do next. So we rely on every employee.”
SGCMH Human Resource Director Sherry Hamby-Vance echoed Pautler’s enthusiasm for the Becker’s recognition.
“We are super excited that SGCMH is being recognized,” she said. “To receive this recognition, Becker’s looked at our benefits package, diversity, professional development, employee satisfaction, retention, and more. We have over 500 employees committed to the efforts of SGCMH and we couldn’t be more proud!”
Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital is a nonprofit county-owned community hospital that works to continue to improve the health and well-being of the community. Its professional staff uses advanced technology and medicine to provide excellent, personalized, and compassionate healthcare. For more information on Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital, visit stegenevievehospital.org.