After a century-long tradition of caring for St. Louisans, Barnes-Jewish Hospital knows that some needs, while beyond the typical scope of healthcare, are essential to a patient’s well-being—and that sometimes these needs cannot wait, or may even prevent someone from seeking treatment.

Many donors make tribute gifts to funds that enable us to help the most vulnerable in our community—the uninsured, the underinsured and the unemployed—to focus on treatment and healing instead of worrying about financial burdens during a hospital stay, extended treatment and recovery.   These patient care and social services are unreimbursable, yet essential to positive patient outcomes. 

Some of these funds provide general support that gives our case managers and social workers opportunity to fulfill the most pressing needs.  Some help cancer patients, or people needing specific transplants.  Some are dedicated to newly-arrived immigrants and refugees.  Other funds support Barnes Lodge, a family-style residence on campus that provides a comfortable “home away from home” for the families of out-of-town patients.

Our hospital assumes the cost of these services as part of our community benefit mandate, and gifts to our Foundation help meet the cost.  When a patient cannot afford basic needs such as food, lodging, rent, utilities, medication, emergency dental care, bus or cab fare, or home care equipment during their treatment or recuperation period, your gifts…

• Keep family at a patient’s side and reduce stressful home environments that harm healing,

• Prevent Emergency Department visits caused when a patient cannot afford a prescription,

• Enable cancer care and transplant surgery to move forward, or 

• nsure that people who have no means of transportation can come to us for the care they need,

Often, these services make a difference between someone seeking or avoiding the care they need.  And the need is growing in these challenging times. After providing these services to 9,017 patients and their families in 2008, we expect that number to grow to more than10,000 people in 2009. 

Every gift is critical to ensure that we offer these vital services and continue to patch some of the holes in our healthcare safety net.  The Foundation is deeply grateful to all who choose to honor or memorialize someone special by helping the patients who need it the most. 

Chilton Children’s Endowment Fund

Phyllis and Robert D. Cohen Fund for Special Patient Care

Marilyn Fixman Cancer Center Endowment Fund

Goddard Cancer Patient Care Fund

Kathy Hoffman Lung Transplant Patient Care Fund

Jerome Kalishman Patient and Family Care Fund

Phyllis Z. and Kenneth R. Langsdorf Fund for New Americans

Liver Transplant Patient Care Fund

Liver Transplant Patient Care Endowment Fund

Schukar Emergency Room Endowment Fund

Social Service and Patient Care Fund

From Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation Tributes Newsletter, First Quarter 2009