1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007
SSM St. Clare Health Center
Highway 141 and Bowles Avenue

WHAT:             
The final steel beam will be placed on the emerging SSM St. Clare Health Center hospital – marking a construction milestone for first full-service hospital to be built in St. Louis County in 30 years. The $236 million, state-of-the-art health care campus is scheduled to open late 2008 and will serve the growing southwest St. Louis County community.

The topping out ceremony is a Scandinavian building tradition that dates back to 700 A.D. where builders hung an evergreen from the top structural beam for good luck and to bless the structure. This tradition continues today to celebrate an important milestone in construction and to thank the workers who made it possible.

WHEN:              
1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3.

WHERE:
Missouri Highway 141 and Bowles Avenue. Take Interstate 44 west and exit at Bowles Avenue. Turn left, go over the interstate and travel approximately 1.5 miles. The emerging
hospital is on the right at Highway 141.

VISUALS &
INTERVIEWS:

• The final beam, displaying hundreds of signatures of construction workers, SSM employees, volunteers, physicians and local dignitaries, will be hoisted into place via a crane. A traditional evergreen will be hung from the beam during placement.
  
  
• Prior to placement, Fenton Mayor Dennis Hancock and SSM executives will sign the beam. SSM executives, along with ironworkers, will then hook the beam to the crane.
  
  
• Media tours of the construction project
  
  
• Live construction footage
  
  
• Media interview opportunities with Ron Levy, President and CEO of SSM Health Care – St. Louis; Sherry Hausmann, President, SSM St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood and SSM St. Clare Health Center; Bob Porter, Executive VP, Strategy & Business Development of SSM Health Care – St. Louis / SSM St. Clare Health Center project executive; and Fenton Mayor Dennis Hancock.
  

CONTACTS:   

Tom Miller                                       
314/989-2060 (office)                     
314/497-4059 (on site)                   

Larissa Amerein               
314/596-7586 (on site)
314/966-1500, ext. 1235 (office)