Even though the current administrator for Highland Community Hospital is retiring, he still plans to help achieve his goal of building the new hospital.

Steve Grimm, the current Highland Community Hospital administrator, will be retiring at the end of this month. However for the next six months he plans to remain available to assist while Forrest General Vice President Ed Tucker acts as the interim director until a new administrator is found.

Grimm said he still has every intention of helping with the construction of the new hospital even after retirement.

“I haven’t lost the desire to accomplish the goal I started,” Grimm said.

He said he is retiring due to a heart condition that he plans to have corrected soon. While he does not describe his job as the most stressful out there, the stress involved could cause more complications with his health.

“I would say this job on a pressure scale of one to 10 is about an eight,” Grimm said. “When you put your health second, that’s not very smart.”

His retirement plans include spending more time with his family, including his two grandchildren, Maverick Steven and Riley Caroline, playing golf and spending some time at his condo in Florida. He als iso an active member in the Chapter 30 Special Forces Group since he was a member of the Army Special Forces in his earlier years.

After his retirement was announced, he said he has had doctors and other hospital personnel with whom he has worked with over the past eight years tell him how much they have learned from him. He said being an administrator is more than just hiring and firing employees, it also involves being a teacher.

“It’s a privilege to lead, a privilege and an honor,” Grimm said.

Grimm has 35 years of health care experience from his work in hospitals across the country, according to a press release from Forrest General, which owns Highland. Grimm took over operations at Highland when it was still named Crosby Memorial in 2001. In 2006, Forrest General purchased the hospital and renamed it.

“Steve Grimm has been instrumental in the growth and success that has occurred at Highland during the past eight years,” said Tucker in the release. “We sincerely appreciate his commitment and dedication to the organization, and to working toward the goal of maintaining a level of excellence in healthcare for Picayune and the surrounding area.”

The release states that the search for a new administrator will be carried out as quickly as possible, while being diligent in choosing the best person to lead the hospital as administrator.