FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APRIL 29, 2009

St. John’s Foundation announces the receipt of

$105,000 in grants for community programs

$50,000 for Emergency Room project improving care for the uninsured

$25,000 for Newborns in Need project for at-risk babies and families

$30,000 to support three regional free clinics

Three Mercy Caritas grants will provide funding for community-based programs that are consistent with the Sisters of Mercy Health System mission of providing health and social services to improve the health and quality of life of communities served.

$50,000 for Project Access Emergency Room Demonstration Project

Uninsured patients may have little access to primary health care when needed, so they often come to the emergency department for non-emergency care. Emergency department visits are on the increase at St. John’s. Approximately 87,000 patients were seen last year, about 245 patients a day. Approximately 16% of those are self-pay, most of who are uninsured or underinsured.  

The $50,000 grant will allow continuation of a program started last year called Project Access Emergency Room Demonstration Project. It provides care, chronic disease management, specialty referral services, health/wellness education, and a medical home for uninsured past ER patients with certain diagnoses who have incomes at or less than 150% of the Federal Poverty Level ($33,075 for a family of 4). The program also addresses non-medical contributors to illness and includes collaboration with community partners to provide services and a medical home for enrollees.

$25,000 for Nurses for Newborns

Nurses for Newborns provides safety-net programs for infants with medical problems, teen mothers, mothers with disabilities/mental health concerns, and families with no financial resources through case management, parenting education, and nurse home visits. This grant will expand Nurses for Newborns services and staff.

$30,000 to support free regional medical clinics

St. John’s Health System and its co-workers and physicians help support several free regional medical clinics. Clients at the free clinics are uninsured and have an annual income below 140% of the federal poverty guidelines. Three of the clinics will share this grant.

The Good Samaritan Care Clinic in Mountain View, Mo. is open one evening per week and had 1,729 medical and 404 dental encounters in 2008. The grant will help pay for staff to coordinate volunteers, schedule patients, maintain supplies, and coordinate diagnostic tests. The clinic has seen a 17% increase in patient visits in 2008 and is expected to increase by 20% in 2009.

Eureka Christian Health Outreach (ECHO) Clinic in Eureka Springs operates two evenings a month and served 1000 patients in 2008.  Grant money will provide funds for supplies and for an expansion of dental and physical therapy services.

During the past year, 720 patients were seen at the Free Community Doctor’s Clinic in Lebanon, Mo. Considering the downturn in the economy, clinic leaders anticipate a 15 – 20 percent increase in patient volumes for 2009.  Funding from this grant will covers costs of diagnostic lab tests.

Mercy Caritas Grants are intended to make a significant impact on the health and well-being of the communities served by Mercy.  Requests for Mercy Caritas funding totaled over one million dollars this year. 

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 For media information, contact St. John’s Media Relations at 417-820-2426 or cora.scott@mercy.net.

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