Anchoring the Regional Safety Net -- $25 million

Emergency care is often the first line of defense for children and adults who do not have a primary care physician. The emergency departments at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Christian Hospital were three of the top five largest providers of emergency care in the St. Louis area during 2007. With more than 210,000 patient visits, they provided 35 percent of emergency care throughout the region.

Uninsured patients accounted for more than 34,000 emergency visits at Barnes-Jewish and Christian hospitals -- 37 percent of the regional total. St. Louis Children’s Hospital saw the highest number of Medicaid emergencies, at 20 percent of the regional total. Barnes-Jewish and Christian hospitals accounted for an additional 27 percent of Medicaid emergency patients in the region.

BJC is an active participant in the initiatives of the St. Louis Regional Health Commission, a nonprofit partnership created to improve access to health care and reduce health disparities in St. Louis City and County. BJC recognizes that the challenge to the St. Louis health care safety net is intensified by the poor health outcomes and wide disparities in health indicators among specific populations and geographic areas of the St. Louis region. Although the reasons for health disparities are complex and extend beyond health care access, BJC works with the Regional Health Commission toward innovative solutions in all areas, including access.

BJC has made a commitment of $1.5 million to help fund a Regional Primary Care Home initiative supported by a master patient index. This initiative will connect all uninsured and Medicaid patients with a designated primary care provider -- or “home” -- to manage non-emergency health needs, provide continuity of care for patients with chronic illness and promote wellness and preventive care measures. Additionally, a master patient index will create a database to enable electronic sharing of essential patient information between hospital emergency departments and outpatient safety net providers.