Rich Hastings

He is the president and chief executive officer of Saint Luke's Health System, which embraces some 11 hospitals in the Kansas City vicinity. I was quite impressed as I heard him interviewed by Victor Hogstrom on KCPT last Friday evening. Among many interests, he is quite a student of the Bible and he mentioned one of his favorite quotations, which he always keeps before him: Proverbs 29:18: "Where there is no vision, the people perish ...." (King James version). This made me think. Among many places, vision is lacking is in our congress. Members of congress seem much more concerned about their next elections than the future of the country and the people. When asked about health care, Rich said he liked best the German plan, except for the provisions eliminating expensive procedures for the elderly.

As a side note, I marvel at the development of the business of hospital administration. I remember, back in the late 40s when I would step into a small office to visit my friend Bob Adams, the "Office Manager" (head administrator) of Research Hospital, when it was downtown. Now, the head administrator of a large hospital system is comparable to a CEO of a large corporation.