Christian Hospital announced Dr. Olaronke Akintola-Ogunremi, or just Dr. Akintola as she is known at the hospital, was elected chief of the medical staff for 2022, effective Jan. 1.
Dr. Akintola, who is a pathologist, is the first woman and African American to hold this position. She is board certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Pathology with a subspecialty in Cytopathology.
“I’m excited to be the new chief of medical staff here at Christian because it has been my home for the last 17 years,” she said.
As medical staff chief, Akintola is responsible for being a voice for the staff as well as the patients that are served.
“As the chief of medical staff, I represent our medical staff in discussions with administration and our goal is to make sure that we continue to improve on the delivery of our healthcare to our patients,” she said. “We are very focused on outreach so encouraging people to come in for screenings they need is something very near and dear to my heart.”
Akintola was appointed to the Christian Hospital medical staff in 2005 and has served as the associate chief of staff for the past three years. She has also served six one-year terms as secretary/treasurer of the medical staff starting in 2012.
She completed her residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the State University of New York, Upstate Medical University and fellowships at Washington University in St. Louis and St. Louis University and is a graduate of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
With COVID-19 cases increasing exponentially, healthcare providers across St. Louis are experiencing huge increases in case numbers.
“I would say as a whole, we are overwhelmed with COVID-19,” Akintola said. “Christian Northeast and Northwest are the busiest in the St. Louis area. We have been inundated with a lot of patients, I would say that a third of our census right now or slightly under are COVID, so for instance, perhaps 70 out of 220, so it’s a significant strain on the system but we do have dedicated individuals who are getting the work done.”
Akintola said the team at Christian Hospital are rising to meet the challenges presented by the pandemic.
“We’ve got a great team here, and that’s really their focus: how do we get the work done,” she said. “Our goal is to provide excellent patient care, and we believe that that is what we’re doing.”
When asked if there are any employee shortages, Akintola said there are “not necessarily” any employee shortages happening from the rising COVID-19 transmission rates.
“Our employees have pretty much been stable, those that we have, but of course like everyone else as a system, we have had struggles with manpower because there is such a great need across the country, but we have been able to get additional manpower when needed,” she said. “It hasn’t been easy, but again, we’re getting it done.”
Community outreach has been somewhat a setback because of the new COVID-19 surge, according to Akintola.
“Making sure that people get the screenings that they need, whether it’s a colonoscopy or a mammogram, is making sure that they have access to care,” she said. “I think that the limiting factor for a lot of people is that they don’t have access to care.”
Akintola’s biggest takeaway is that those who have not gotten vaccinated already should do so.
“We just want everyone to be safe and healthy. Everything that we’re saying is based on science, and the science supports it,” she said.
