April-June, 2003

St. John’s Foundation builds relationships to improve community health

 When Bonnie Keller, president and chief executive officer of Ronald McDonald House Charities, asked the community if they could help cover a $400,000 annual operating budget for the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, she was answered with a resounding yes.
St. John’s Foundation for Community Health is one organization that stepped forward to support the mobile dental clinic with a donation of $15,000 through sponsorship of the inaugural Grin Iron Classic high school all-star football game. The game is sponsored by the new All-Star Smiles Sertoma Club.

The 40-foot “Tooth Truck” visits Caring Communities schools each week to provide dental care to low-income children, all of whom qualify for or are on Medicaid and can’t get a dental appointment elsewhere.
In May of 2000, the Surgeon General of the United States reported the most chronic disease of childhood is tooth decay. Keller believes there are two aspects to the solution: getting children out of pain and empowering them with the knowledge to take control of their health.

“The self-fulfilling prophecy works. When our little patients are lovingly brought to the Tooth Truck by one of our volunteers – most of whom are Junior League members – are taught how to brush their teeth and through this new friendship, are told that they do have the ability to brush their teeth every day and have a beautiful, pain-free, bright smile, there's much more than dental work happening,” says Keller. “Their smiles come from their spirits. This important aspect of our project helps keep our eyes on the prize and not become discouraged because this need is so incredibly overwhelming. There are many in our community, like St. John's Foundation for Community Health, who recognize the severity of the situation for our children and have opened their hearts.”

“St. John’s Foundation for Community Health was created with the goal of improving health status in communities served by St. John’s,” says Mike Peters, executive director. “This project fell in line with that purpose because the program aims to help eliminate barriers to access and directly improves the quality of life for children.”

Keller expects part of the Tooth Truck’s operating budget to come from Medicaid reimbursement – about $150,000. The rest must come from donations from organizations such as St. John’s Foundation.
"This project has been a leap of faith from the very beginning. The only way that it can exist is through the understanding and generosity of our community,” she says.

Contributions helped the Tooth Truck provide more than 2,200 appointments for nearly 1,000 patients, completing nearly $500,000 in dental treatment.
Peters says the foundation has focused on numerous giving opportunities for donors and created a formal channel for targeting contributions this past year. Peters and Development Director Mickey Moore have been busy establishing funds, writing grants, and hosting fund-raising events that support various community causes. Next up is the 2003 Seniors Gala, a dance and celebration to benefit programs provided by St. John’s Senior Services and Southwest Missouri Office on Aging. Tickets for the June 1 event are $10.
“St. John’s co-workers have been extremely generous in supporting the foundation this year,” says Moore. The inaugural co-worker fund-raising campaign was the year’s most successful campaign, generating nearly $80,000.

Until the foundation was established in 2000, a formal health system development program or foundation did not exist. The health system had averaged more than 1,000 donations each year, mostly in the form of memorials.

The foundation is governed by an executive council, comprised of community representatives and health system staff members. Community members include Allen Casey, president, The Casey Associates, chair; Don Landon, Ph.D., vice chair and medical research sub-committee chair; Carol DeHaven, CPA, development sub-committee chair; Jerry Clark, education committee chair; and Paul Reinert, CPA, consultant. St. John’s representatives on the executive committee include Jay Eckersley, president and chief executive officer, Donald Wantuck, M.D., health system board chair, Kim Day, chief financial officer, Ann Meuser, vice president, Pam Reese, R.N., chief nurse executive and Mike Peters, vice president and foundation executive.

The following areas are already benefiting from St. John’s Foundation funds.

Children’s Hospital at St. John’s
Proceeds from the inaugural St. John’s Pro-Am in July 2002 benefited the Children’s Hospital at St. John’s and various other children’s charities in the Ozarks.

Hospice
Funds have been allocated through the St. John’s Foundation Hospice Fund to assist community organizations in improving care provided to elderly patients and their families.

Community Foundation of the Ozarks
St. John’s Foundation has established a fund at Community Foundation of the Ozarks that supports projects such as the Tooth Truck and Monett Child Advocacy Center. The goal of this fund is to enhance community projects that promote health education or services that improve health.

Nursing Education
Through a generous donation from the J.F. Johnson estate, St. John’s Foundation for Community Health has responded to the nursing shortage by offering financial assistance to students attending St. John’s School of Nursing. To date, more than $492,000 in financial assistance has been distributed.

To contact St. John’s Foundation for Community Health, call 417-885-6111 or 866-266-4584 or visit www.stjohns.com/foundation.