11/05/2025
Fairfield Memorial Hospital announces the upcoming retirement of Patrick L. Molt, MD, FACS, General Surgeon, who will retire at the end of 2025 after 26 years of service to the hospital and to the residents of Southeastern Illinois.
Dr. Molt began his private practice at Fairfield Memorial Hospital in June 1999. From the beginning of his tenure, he has served in leadership roles as Chief of Surgery, Chief Medical Officer and President of the Fairfield Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, guiding the hospital through historic growth, modernization, and a steadfast commitment to high-quality rural healthcare.
A Fairfield native born at Fairfield Memorial Hospital, Dr. Molt graduated summa cm laude from Washington University in St. Louis before earning his Doctor of Medicine from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He completed a general surgery residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center followed by a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Prior to returning home, he held academic and clinical appointments at Mount Sinai, Cornell University Medical College and New York Medical College and served as Chief of Surgical Oncology at St. Agnes Hospital in White Plains, NY. He currently holds the title of Adjunct Professor of Surgery at Rush Medical College in Chicago.
When Dr. Molt chose to return to Fairfield in 1999, he brought world-class training and experience back to the rural community where his roots began. “I came home to take care of my people,” he has said—a philosophy that has guided both his practice and his leadership. Under his direction, Fairfield Memorial Hospital expanded its facilities, modernized its surgical and emergency departments, and opened rural-health clinics throughout the region to improve access to care.
Dr. Molt’s professional excellence and community commitment have been recognized on many levels. Among numerous honors, he received the Illinois Rural Physician of Excellence Award in 2008, the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network Service Award in 2020, and was named Citizen of the Year by the Greater Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce in 2009. He has also been honored by the Illinois General Assembly, the U.S. Congress, and the State of Illinois for his leadership and service. He has served on the Continuous Certification Committee of the American Board of Surgery, the certification entity for General Surgery and several of its subspecialties.
Beyond the operating room, Dr. Molt is known for his generosity, humility, and compassion. He is admired for giving his time freely to patients, colleagues, and community members, and for his dedication to mentoring future healthcare professionals. His belief that “I really, actually care for the patients” has been evident in every aspect of his work. In recognition of his contributions, the Surgical Suite in Fairfield Memorial Hospital’s Surgical Pavilion was named in his honor, ensuring that his legacy of excellence will continue to inspire generations to come.
Reflecting on his career, Dr. Molt shared,
“It has been my privilege to provide surgical care to the residents of Southeastern Illinois, and I have felt much appreciated for my efforts. But, as it says in Ecclesiastes, ‘To everything there is a season,’ and the time has come for this season of my life to close.”
Andy Flemer, Fairfield Memorial Hospital CEO, stated, “On behalf of the entire FMH team, I would like to thank Dr Molt for his tireless and dedicated support of
FMH, our patients and staff as well as wish him the best on a very well-deserved retirement from general surgery practice. FMH is actively recruiting for general surgery providers to join Dr Lauren Williams and Misty Stone, FNP. I look forward continuing to work with Dr Molt in his FMH Board President role.”
As Dr. Molt prepares to retire at the end of 2025, Fairfield Memorial Hospital expresses its deepest gratitude for his 26 years of devoted service, exceptional leadership, and enduring compassion for the patients and families of this community. Dr. Molt will continue as a member of the Fairfield Memorial Hospital Association Board of Directors where he currently serves as its President. While Dr. Molt will be greatly missed, Lauren Williams, MD, General Surgeon, and Misty Stone, APN, FNP, will continue providing ongoing surgical and patient care. Though Dr. Molt will leave a void and all he has contributed, Dr. Williams and Misty Stone’s dedication ensures that patients will continue to receive the high-quality, compassionate care that defines Fairfield Memorial Hospital.
