David A. Braasch
President, Alton Memorial Hospital
As president of Alton Memorial Hospital, Dave Braasch directs the operation of a 197-bed full-service acute-care hospital that serves patients in a five-county area. In addition to the hospital, Braasch has responsibility for the affiliated 62-bed long-term care facility, Alton Memorial Rehabilitation & Therapy located on the Alton Memorial campus.
Founded in 1937, Alton Memorial Hospital is in the center of nearly 100 acres of beautifully landscaped and wooded hills in historic Alton, Ill. The hospital was a gift to the community from the Smith family of Alton. Today, Alton Memorial offers patients a variety of inpatient and outpatient services, including surgery services, medical imaging, interventional and diagnostic heart services, radiation and chemotherapy cancer care services, and 24-hour emergency care. In 2010, the hospital opened the Duncan Wing, a major bed tower expansion, which houses 76 state-of-the-art private rooms and six observation rooms as well as a spacious new lobby, patient registration, pharmacy, laboratory and medical imaging reception area.
Braasch has played an instrumental role in Alton Memorial’s growth and was named the hospital’s president in 2007. He served as assistant administrator of support services from 1998 until he was promoted to vice president of professional services and business development in 2006. In these roles he led development of the hospital’s Cancer Care Center, expansion and renovation of the Health & Vascular Center and implementation of the Human Motion Institute. In 2019, he helped establish the hospital’s affiliation with Siteman Cancer Center, which has positioned Alton Memorial as a local leader in advanced cancer prevention and treatment. In 2021, the hospital welcomed its first class in the Family Medicine Residency Program that was started in partnership with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and SIHF Healthcare. This physician-training program will ultimately house 18 residents and bring more access to primary care in the greater Illinois Metro-East community. The hospital has continued to flourish with a new medical office complex housing an outpatient infusion center, primary care, orthopedics, general surgery, endocrinology and OB/GYN. Alton Memorial Hospital continues to be recognized as a leader in improved clinical quality, patient safety and patient experience.
Braasch began his career at Alton Memorial as a staff pharmacist. He later was promoted to manage the hospital’s pharmacy. In 1995, he was named regional director of pharmacy for Christian Hospital Northeast-Northwest and Alton Memorial.
Braasch holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Braasch is active in community organizations, serving on the board of directors for the SIUE School of Pharmacy, and Riverbend Head Start and Family Services. He also is the board past-president of the American Diabetes Association Leadership Council for Madison County, Southwestern Illinois Employers Association and St. Paul Lutheran Hamel School Board.
Alton Memorial Hospital and Alton Memorial Rehabilitation & Therapy are part of BJC HealthCare, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States, serving patients and their families in urban, suburban and rural communities in Missouri and Illinois through its 14 hospitals and other health-service organizations.