[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 2625-2626]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNITION OF MR. KEVIN F. KAST OF ST. CHARLES, MISSOURI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. W. TODD AKIN

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 16, 2005

  Mr. AKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Kevin F. Kast, an 
exceptional leader from my district in St. Charles, Missouri. Kevin 
recently announced his retirement as president of three major health 
facilities--SSM St. Joseph Health Center, SSM Joseph Hospital West and 
SSM Joseph Medical Park in St. Charles County.
  I have known Kevin for many years, and I want to take this 
opportunity to acknowledge and praise him for his years of service, not 
only to SSM St. Joseph, but also to the St. Charles community at large. 
Kevin is a visionary and a compassionate, energetic, and inspiring 
leader.
  Under Kevin's leadership, SSM St. Joseph has earned a variety of 
local, State and national honors. It is the first recipient of the 
MissouriPRO Quality Award, and twice has been named by Solucient as one 
of the 100 Top HospitalsTM in the country. SSM St. Joseph is 
a member of SSM Health Care, the first health care winner of the 
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
  Kevin has been active in St. Charles County and our larger region 
with memberships in

[[Page 2626]]

many civic, professional and volunteer organizations, and has an 
impressive list of personal accomplishments.
  Again, I am pleased to be able to honor Kevin Kast today. He is a 
shining example of the great leadership we have in Missouri and I know 
all of my colleagues join me in wishing him the very best as he begins 
the next chapter in his life and career.

                          ____________________