DECATUR - When St. Mary's Hospital administrator Kevin Kast mentioned to U.S. Rep. Phil Hare's staff that he'd like to meet the congressman sometime, he was surprised when his request was granted in a matter of a couple of weeks.

"We wanted to open up dialogue," Kast said. "We wanted to take the opportunity to get to know him better and for him to get to know us better; we really need to make certain (representatives) are aware of our presence, our needs and our direction."

Hare, of the 17th District in Illinois, spent part of the afternoon at St. Mary's talking with administrators and staff, touring some areas of the hospital and meeting several patients. The visit, Hare said, was an educational experience.

"I wanted to find out more about the hospital and how I could help them out. It's a great place, and part of work for me is just learning," he said.–;"I had a good time, and I plan on coming back."

One of the dominant pieces of conversation was the recruitment and retention of nurses amid a nationwide nursing shortage. After visits with several hospitals in his district, Hare said nursing shortage concerns were among the highest he has heard.

"We don't have enough problems retaining as we do recruiting," Theresa Rutherford, chief operating officer, told him. "Demands are becoming higher and higher in the role, and it's now harder to get into a nursing program."

In between discussions, Hare was given a tour of the hospital's physical therapy and radiology departments and skilled care unit. Staff explained plans for renovations and showcased newly purchased equipment.

Health care is one of Hare's main concerns, he said, and he wants to focus on aspects such as rural health care, as well as reforming senior health care.

Throughout his visit, Hare emphasized his willingness to assist the hospital in any way he could.

"You don't get anything on Capitol Hill if you don't ask," he said. "We have a health care crisis today in this nation. I see the whole job I'm doing here as trying to help people out. It's an incredibly important job, but so is everyone else's, so it's mine to help everyone else out a little bit."