STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. – Good timing made all the difference for the Ste. Genevieve County Fire Protection District. Just as the new district was getting off the ground, Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital (SGCMH) stepped up with a donation of computers and laptops to help them get started.
Fire Chief Tim Flieg had been looking for a solution to the district’s lack of computer equipment when auxiliary member and hospital dietitian Laura Selby mentioned that SGCMH might have some extras. As luck would have it, the hospital had just completed its yearly IT computer refresh.
“We were happy to donate our used computers,” said Stephan Wibbenmeyer, SGCMH’s Director of IT Network Systems. “The only consideration was that the devices did not include hard drives, as we securely destroy them per HIPAA requirements. I found an affordable option for the fire district at about $20 per drive that would make the devices fully functional.”
In total, SGCMH donated nine desktop computers and 20 laptops.
“As a new district, we bought reporting software so we can do reports from anywhere instead of writing them out and entering the data later,” said Flieg. “These computers will go to our chiefs and captains so we can get reports in quickly and keep everything running smoothly.”The fire district officially formed this spring after voters approved merging six volunteer fire departments—Kinsey, Bloomsdale, Ozora, Weingarten, St. Mary’s and Zell—into one.
“We really appreciate the hospital stepping up and helping us out,” Flieg added. “It saved us a significant amount of money and gives us a strong start. We are grateful to the hospital for helping us take this important step forward.”
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. Our 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.