[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18223]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING LOWELL C. KRUSE FOR HIS 20 YEARS OF SERVICE AS PRESIDENT AND 
                        CEO OF HEARTLAND HEALTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 13, 2004

  Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Lowell C. 
Kruse, President and CEO of Heartland Health, an employer of 2,600 
located in St. Joseph, Missouri. Mr. Kruse has exemplified the finest 
qualities of leadership and service and is being honored for his 20 
year commitment to Heartland Health and the people of northwest 
Missouri.
  Mr. Kruse was born in Lake City, Iowa, just about four hours north of 
St. Joseph where he currently lives with his wife of 40 years, Leslie 
Marsden-Kruse. Together, Lowell and Leslie have three adult sons. Mr. 
Kruse began his career in 1967 as the Assistant Administrator of St. 
Barnabas Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For the next ten years, 
Mr. Kruse held leadership positions in a variety of health facilities 
in the Minneapolis area, before moving to New York in 1977 to become 
President and CEO of Park Ridge Hospital and Nursing Home in Rochester. 
Two years later, he became President and CEO of Update Health System, 
Inc. in Rochester. In 1984, Mr. Kruse came to St. Joseph as President 
and CEO of Heartland Health, and he hasn't looked back since. During 
Mr. Kruse's tenure as President and CEO, Heartland has been the 
recipient of the Missouri Quality Award, the Distinguished Hospital 
Award for Clinical Excellence, and in 2000 was named one of the top 100 
hospitals in the country for orthopedics and cardiovascular care. Mr. 
Kruse has been the recipient of the Justin Ford Kimball Innovators 
Award from the American Hospital Association, and the Visionary 
Leadership Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the Missouri 
Hospital Association. In addition to his work at Heartland, Mr. Kruse 
currently serves on the Boards of Directors for Premier, Inc., the 
Excellence in Missouri Foundation, and the Missouri State Coordinating 
Board for Higher Education.
  Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending the career of 
Lowell C. Kruse, who exemplifies the qualities of dedication and 
service to Heartland Health and the people of northwest Missouri.

                          ____________________