David Seagraves, president and CEO of Sumter Regional Hospital, was the recipient of the Robert A. Lipson CEO of the Year Award during the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals’ 2007 annual meeting at Callaway Gardens.

The award recognizes Seagraves and the entire Sumter Regional staff for their heroic response to the tornado that destroyed the 143-bed hospital and portions of Americus on the night of March 1.

This year’s award is the first to carry the name of Lipson, the president and CEO of WellStar who died on Nov. 10, 2006. at age 60 from injuries suffered when his motorcycle collided with a car.

Sumter Regional has made a remarkable recovery from the disaster and is nearing completion of a fully functional temporary hospital with 76 inpatient rooms, a full-service Emergency Room and many of the medical services lost since the tornado. At the same time, Seagraves and the Sumter Regional team have worked with their insurer, government agencies, elected officials and philanthropic groups to pull together funds to build a new hospital that is expected to open in 2010.

“While recognizing David’s outstanding leadership, this year’s award is also recognition of the incredible commitment and superb performance under pressure by more than 700 Sumter Regional staff members who are proving every day that their spirit and Sumter Regional truly are indestructible,” said Monty M. Veazey, president of the Alliance. “David and the Sumter Regional staff demonstrate what community hospitals do best: they put the needs of the community first. And they showed us that a hospital isn’t just a building; it is people.”

The hospital, as well as doctors’ offices and a facility housing imaging and lab services, suffered direct hits from the tornado. Because of the efforts of Sumter Regional staff on duty that night, as well as other personnel who returned to the hospital following the tornado, no one in the hospital was killed or seriously injured and within four hours all 55 patients had been evacuated to other hospitals.

Seagraves immediately assured the staff, physicians and the community that Sumter Regional would rebuild and be better than ever. Employees were assured they would continue to be paid, and were organized to help the recovery effort.

Almost immediately, Sumter Regional staff members set up a first-aid station at a nearby church. Within days a blue-tent care urgent care center for emergency and outpatient services rose in the parking lot and, a few weeks later, trailers replaced the tents. The community depended on the services, and more patients were seen in the Urgent Care Center in July and August 2007 than in Sumter’s ER in July and August 2006.

Through the spring and summer, Seagraves and his team worked through red tape to secure financial settlements and other funding assistance. Sumter Regional is now in the process of selecting architects and builders for the new Sumter Regional and expects to break ground next year on a state-of-the-art facility.