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Upcoming Events
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2018 Saint Louis Healthcare Community Choir Concert
December 15, 2018
December 18, 2018
Provider Services Advisory Board Meeting
Community Advisory Board Meeting
Gateway to Better Health Pilot Team Meeting
Commission Monthly Board Meeting
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About the RHC
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The RHC is a collaborative effort of St. Louis City, St. Louis County, the state of Missouri, health providersand community members to improve the health of uninsured and underinsured citizens in St. Louis City and County.
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Download your copy of "Geography Matters"!
This past September, the St. Louis Regional Health Commission (RHC) released their inaugural Access to Care Data Book issue brief,
"Geography Matters: The Impact of Regionality on Safety Net Access Trends in St. Louis," which builds upon the
2017 Access to Care Data Book. "Geography Matters" explores access trends among safety net patients based on zip code residence and the location of safety net organizations where patients access services. This issue brief aims to highlight geographic areas where safety net providers appear to be less accessible to uninsured individuals living in St. Louis City and County.
Key findings from "Geography Matters: The Impact of Regionality on Safety Net
Access Trends in St. Louis" include: 
- The areas with the highest unmet needs for safety net services appear to be North St. Louis County and South St. Louis City.
- The data indicates that North St. Louis County, North St. Louis City, and South St. Louis City have the worst health outcomes in the region and some of the worst in the state of Missouri.
- Central and West St. Louis County have relatively low rates of uninsured individuals and some of the best health outcomes in the state.
- General trends show gaps in safety net primary care service for North St. Louis County and South St. Louis City. In the future, more exploration of the access patterns in South St. Louis County may be warranted.
- General trends show high emergency care usage rates for uninsured individuals living in North St. Louis County and North St. Louis City.
- While an area of high need, North St. Louis City seems to be saturated with safety net access points at this time.
Historically, the RHC produces an annual
Access to Care Data Book that reviews community-wide progress toward strengthening the primary, specialty, and emergency care safety net system in the region. In an effort to provide a more robust picture of access in the St. Louis region, the RHC's
Access to Care Data Workgroup elected to supplement the annual report with subsequent "issue briefs." The aim of the issue briefs is to provide additional context and data around specific issues highlighted through provider feedback and data collected for the annual report.
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Commissioners approve Behavioral Health Assessment and Triage Center Feasibility Study assessment
In the City of Saint Louis and Saint Louis County, many individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and problematic substance use (SU) are not being adequately treated, resulting in an increased number of encounters in emergency departments (ED) and the criminal justice system. These systems may not be the appropriate settings for individuals with SMI and SU to receive support and treatment. Additionally, there is increasing pressure put on providers and first-responders due to recent trends in opioid abuse. Leaders across the St. Louis region recognize that an intentional process is needed to connect these individuals to resources that facilitate treatment, recovery, support services and housing.
The Saint Louis Metropolitan Hospital Council met in November 2017 and formally requested that the RHC produce a feasibility study for a regional "assessment and triage center" after visits to a similar model in Kansas City, MO. Since April 2018, the "Behavioral Health Assessment and Triage Center Feasibility Study Planning Team" has been focused on assessing unmet needs, gaps, and barriers to those who need crisis care for substance use and mental health needs. At their October 2018 meeting, Commissioners approved the full assessment of the Behavioral Health Assessment and Triage Center Feasibility Study.
If you or someone you know is interested in the RHC's Behavioral Health Assessment and Triage Center Feasibility Study, please contact the RHC's Chief of Staff, Angela Brown.
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Join Us as We Celebrate "Whole Person Healing Through Song"!
Join us on Saturday, December 15, 2018, from 1-3 p.m. as we celebrate the holidays and our region's healthcare community
with song! Admission is free but please consider bringing new winter hats,
scarves and gloves. These goods will be collected at the concert and donated to
Saint Louis Transitional Hope House at the end of the event.
2018 Saint Louis Healthcare Community Choir Concert
December 15, 2018 from 1-3 p.m.
Carr Lane VPA Middle School
1004 North Jefferson Avenue
St. Louis, M0 63106
For more information, please contact
Rosetta Keeton at 314-446-6464.
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RHC Recognized by Health Literacy Media as a Health Literacy Trailblazer for 2018!
We are honored to be recognized as one of
Health Literacy Media
's Health Literacy Trailblazers for 2018! On October 30, Dr. Will Ross, RHC Commissioner, accepted the award on our behalf alongside our CEO Robert Fruend, Jr. Thank you again to Health Literacy Media for the recognition! Click here for the full announcement.
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Reflections on Dr. James Whittico, Jr. from Robert Fruend, Jr., CEO of the St. Louis Regional Health Commission
When St. Louis Regional Hospital closed, and the St. Louis Regional Health Commission (RHC) was formed, Dr. James Whittico, Jr. was already a living legend. He had already rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the 1940's, and had been awarded a Bronze Star Medal for combat service during World War II. He had already helped pass the Medicare and Medicaid Act at the Federal level in the mid-1960's. He had already trained many of the top flight surgeons around the country, and according to Louis Sullivan, already had been instrumental in the formation of Morehouse School of Medicine in the early 1970's. He had already served and saved so many lives in our region. By 2002, at the age of 86, he had earned a well-deserved rest.
In 2002, relationships were at an all-time low point between the medical community and the St. Louis "community". After the closure of Homer G. Phillips Hospital in the late 1970's, and not two decades later, the closure of St. Louis Regional Hospital, the region was left without a public hospital, without a plan to move forward for providing adequate medical care for all, and without much hope.
At an age when most people are enjoying retirement, Dr. Whittico rallied many of the most angry and disillusioned, and convinced folks to try again to make things better. He was a founding member of the RHC's Advisory Board process, and played an instrumental role in creating the regional plan for change that became the foundation of how St. Louis preserved, and improved, its remaining health care safety net for the past two decades.
Unknown to most, Dr. Whittico dedicated hours upon hours of his personal time to coaching a new and inexperienced CEO in the science of public health, the best way to solve tricky political issues, and the mysterious ways of St. Louis. I fondly remember my time spent in Dr. Whittico's office, listening to the complicated oral history of the St. Louis medicine community, and know that without his guidance, patience, and wisdom, our organization - and safety net - would have collapsed many times over.
I have always wondered how many other great deeds in our region Dr. Whittico had a quiet hand in shaping, never seeking credit, just looking to do what's best for others. We take this time to acknowledge his role in our work, and remember his service to our community and country, and honor the inherent goodness of the man behind the legend. May we all continue to be inspired by his life and legacy.
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Your dedication and continued support are what make these efforts possible. We look forward to continued partnership with you in the months ahead.
Sincerely,
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Robert Fruend, Jr.
Chief Executive Officer
St. Louis Regional Health Commission |
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