100 Most Influential People in Healthcare - 2020

SSM Health has felt the financial hit of COVID-19 and was forced to furlough 2,000 workers in April. But Kaiser has seen some highlights in 2020. She hired Dr. Alex Garza the lead SSM Health’s COVID-19 response. Garza was chief medical officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during the H1N1 outbreak. In September, SSM opened St. Louis University Hospital, expanding a partnership with the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Kaiser also advocated strongly for Medicaid expansion measures that were approved by voters in Oklahoma and Missouri, two states where SSM Health operates.