Memorial East, SIUE, Illinois American Water nominated for regional awards

The newly constructed $124 million Memorial Hospital East in Shiloh isn’t even open for business yet, but it’s getting recognized already.

The 94-bed hospital set to open in April has been nominated for an Arcus Award for Achievement in Health. The Arcus Awards, sponsored by the St. Louis Regional Chamber, are presented to companies, organizations and institutions that are operating to make the St. Louis region a better place to live, work and invest.

Officials at Memorial Hospital East and its parent company, Memorial Medical Group, are excited the hospital was nominated for the award.

“This is quite a large significant healthcare project in the region,” said Ann Thomure, spokeswoman for Memorial Group.

Memorial Hospital East isn’t the only metro-east organization nominated. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville was nominated for three separate awards: the SIUE East St. Louis Center for educational attainment; the SIUE Eugene B. Redmond Learning Center for achievement in inclusion and talent attraction; and the SIUE Metro East Start-Up Challenge for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Illinois American Water is also one of the finalists for the Ameren Corporate Citizenship Award along with Missouri American Water, which serves St. Louis County, for establishing pharmaceutical drop boxes in communities on both sides of the river. The program’s goal is to give residents a safe way to dispose of their old prescriptions and medicines.

Ruth Holmes, administrator of Memorial Hospital East, said the hospital is on schedule to open April 12 with a public open house slated for April 10.

“It’s getting to be countdown time,” she said.

The leadership team has arrived at Memorial Hospital East, according to Holmes, to ensure departments are set up as they should be.

By March 4, the hospital plans to bring in the “front-line” staff, she said.

“We are really going to be hopping and getting the building ready,” Holmes said. “We will be very busy from then until opening day.”

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch. Memorial Hospital East and the three SIUE entities, along with the other nominees, are also vying for a new Arcus Award: The Arcus People’s Choice Award. The community will have a voice in selecting award winners in 10 categories.

Online voting is open until noon on Feb. 24. To vote, visit www.arcusawards.com. The inaugural Arcus People’s Choice Award winner will be revealed at the conclusion of the Feb. 25 event.

“Being nominated is affirming of the great work we do here,” said Jesse Dixon, executive director of the SIUE East St. Louis Center. “But I believe that the center is worthy of winning awards every year because of the transformative work we do for families in East St. Louis. While it is an honor to nominated, it is not a surprise, because no one in the region is doing what we do.”

The SIUE East St. Louis Center is dedicated to improving the lives of families and individuals by providing comprehensive programs, services and training in the areas of education, health, social services and the arts.

Dixon said the center serves about 2,000 children from 6 weeks old to high school age every day through its educational programs, including the Upward Bound Program and the East St. Louis Charter High School.

In addition, another 2,000 individuals are served annually through health and human service programs like the pediatric dental clinic and the medical clinic.

“It’d be cool to win but just being nominated is an honor,” Dixon said. “It’s neat to be part of such a prestigious and well-attended event.”

The Eugene B. Redmond Collection and Learning Center in SIUE’s Lovejoy Library opened in the fall. The center houses thousands of poems, manuscripts, books, photos, letters, awards, posters, news clippings, magazines, fliers and other items that Redmond, a poet, teacher and activist, has created or collected over the years.

“The Eugene B. Redmond Learning Center was a passion project that was widely supported and needed in a region that has such a rich history in the black arts movement,” said Regina McBride, dean of Library Information Services at SIUE. “The center exposes the public to some of the world’s most renowned artists, not as we’re used to seeing them, performing their craft but in the intimate moments of friendship, collaboration, celebration and artistic creation.”

The SIUE Metro East Start-Up Challenge, a regional business plan competition for entrepreneurs and start ups, has been effective in re-energizing the entrepreneurial culture in Southwestern Illinois, according to John Navin, dean of the SIUE School of Business.

“The SIUE Metro East Start-Up Challenge is the first and only business plan competition focused on Southwestern Illinois,” Navin said. “The challenge has cultivated new partners and supporters across the region, and has developed an affinity for supporting craft manufacturers.”

Since its inception, it has spurred new entrepreneurial support activities in Highland, Belleville, Granite City, Glen Carbon and Edwardsville, Navin said.

In September the Metro East Start-Up Challenge announced Scoville and Company won the top cash prize of $15,000 in 2015 with its patented invention, Pacidose. The infant and baby medicine dispenser functions like a pacifier to administer proper dosages. Company CEO Agnes Scoville, an emergency room doctor, and spouse Anson Scoville, a business executive, received a $50,000 Arch Grant award.

“It’s a good outlet to help us continue to move entrepreneurship forward on the metro-east side,” Navin said.

Being nominated as a finalist for an Arcus Award only confirms what Navin already knows.

“It demonstrates that all the innovation is not just taking place on the St. Louis side of the river,” he said.

This is the third year that the St. Louis Regional Chamber has sponsored the awards.

This story was originally published February 15, 2016 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Memorial East, SIUE, Illinois American Water nominated for regional awards."