CEO: Holiday Message
December 20, 2021
by Scott Thoreson, CCMH Chief Executive Officer
I would like to thank the community of Carrollton and Carroll County for making my first six months as CEO of Carroll County Memorial Hospital so welcoming. I have met many individuals and had many conversations seeking to understand area history and community needs, not just for healthcare, but what is important for this rural area in Missouri to flourish.
We continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and everyone in our organization, particularly the caregiving staff, is tired, overwhelmed and discouraged, and looking forward to better times with less sickness. We continue to promote vaccination, which has made a difference in the patients we treat. Usually hospital administrators look forward to having growing numbers in the emergency department and as hospital inpatients. I, along with other hospital administrators, would be ecstatic to see a reduction in patient volume and return to seeing the types of patients we saw in 2019.
The importance of CCMH to the county can’t be understated. We are the main provider of healthcare in Carroll County and, in particular, our wound care program and our rehabilitation program bring in patients from far and wide due to their stellar reputations. Our 24 visiting specialists make healthcare much more convenient and keep patients from travelling to Kansas City or Columbia. Besides being a health care provider, we are also the county’s largest employer with a payroll of $13.8 million for our 242 employees as of our most recently completed fiscal year. If payroll turns over 3-5 times before it leaves the community as statistics suggest, CCMH employees generate $41 million to $69 million in annual economic impact for Carroll County.
As the Christmas and New Year’s holidays approach, it is a time of reflection and giving thanks and I would like to thank you for seeking us out for your healthcare needs. I would also ask you to drive carefully if you are travelling as deer are still plentiful and sooner or later winter will arrive with all of the associated challenges. As my Scandinavian Grandpa used to say, “Drive slow and come good home.” Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!