Mr. Klay oversees four hospitals across the HSHS Southern Illinois market, including three rural facilities, while also serving as CEO of HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, a 144-bed regional medical center in O’Fallon, Ill. A physical therapist by training, Mr. Klay brings clinical insight to executive decision-making and has spent his entire career with HSHS since 2009, advancing from director of rehabilitation services to market-level leadership. In fall 2025, he announced $116 million in growth projects for the St. Elizabeth’s campus, expanding the emergency department, increasing inpatient nursing capacity, adding an outpatient surgery center and advanced imaging options to serve a rapidly growing community. Under his leadership, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese, Ill. was named a Chartis “Top 100 Rural and Community Hospital” and a “Top 20 Rural and Community Hospital” by the National Rural Health Association in 2025, while multiple Southern Illinois market hospitals earned CMS five-star ratings for quietness, nurse communication and low catheter-associated urinary tract infection rates. Mr. Klay is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and previously served as president and CEO of HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland, Ill.
