ST. LOUIS, MO – SSM Health has announced the appointment of Paige Bass, JD, and David E. Hartenbach, MD, to its Board of Directors, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
The transition comes as three other board members – Evans Richardson, Sr. Kathy Buchheit, FSM, and Thomas Merfeld, PhD – have completed their terms of service. Sr. Buchheit and Dr. Merfeld also served as members of SSM Health Ministries, the sponsoring body responsible for preserving SSM Health’s Roman Catholic identity and serving as liaison to the Vatican.
Ms. Bass completed her service as chair of SSM Health’s Oklahoma regional Board of Directors on Dec. 31. She recently retired as senior vice president and general counsel of Sonic, serving in that capacity since 2014, after having been the company’s vice president and general counsel since January 2007. Ms. Bass serves on the board of directors for Argent Trust Oklahoma (Heritage Trust); is trusteeship chair for the board of trustees of Westminster School in Oklahoma City; is chair-elect of the board of trustees for Oklahoma City non‐profit Pivot, a Turning Point for Youth; and is a member of the board of visitors for the University of Oklahoma College of Law. She previously served as editor‐in‐chief of the Oklahoma Law Review and received the Nathan Scarritt Prize.
Dr. Hartenbach recently completed his term as Chair of the Board of Directors for Esse Health (part of Surround Care). He is a board‐certified pediatrician and has been in practice since 1991. Prior to joining Esse Health, Dr. Hartenbach completed an additional year of training as the Chief Resident at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He is currently an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine. He also was selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Doctors in America® from 1996 to 2020.
“We want to thank Mr. Richardson, Sr. Buchheit, and Dr. Merfeld for sharing their wisdom and experience with our Board. SSM Health is stronger today because of their dedication and guidance,” said Laura S. Kaiser, FACHE, president/chief executive officer of SSM Health. “At the same time, we look forward to the contributions of Ms. Bass and Dr. Hartenbach. They each bring strong professional and governance leadership experience and share our commitment to ensuring the patients and communities we serve continue to have access to high-quality affordable care.”
