STL Regional Medical Center partners with Alive and Well
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The St. Louis Regional Health Commission and Alive and Well have recently partnered in the effort to eliminate health disparities throughout the state.
Founded in 2001, RHC addressed the crisis in access to care after the regions last remaining public hospital, St. Louis Regional Medical Center closed.
In 2017, AWC spun off from the RHC and formed as a statewide non-profit to address the impact of stress and trauma on health outcomes. The organization works in partnership with communities in St. Louis, Kansas City and Southeast Missouri (the Bootheel) where poor health outcomes and health disparities continue to persist.
The RHC historically has been focused on improving access to care for low-income residents of St. Louis City and County, said Angela Brown, CEO of the RHC. "With the expansion of Medicaid and the subsequent closure of the Gateway to Better Health program, we are accelerating our work to eliminate health disparities across the state of Missouri."
To do so, we recognize we need a broader approach that incorporates societal factors that impact health. Our association with Alive and Well allows us to address issues such as K-12 education, an area we historically have not engaged in.
Missouri life expectancy illustrates the importance of the partnership between RHC and AWC. In the Bootheel, the average life expectancy rate is 73.4 years, with four of its six counties (Pemiscot, Dunklin, New Madrid, and Mississippi) having the states lowest life expectancies.
According to the Kansas City Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), that areas average resident can expect to live 77 years (equivalent to the U.S. average.) However, that number varies dramatically depending on where you live in Kansas City based on ZIP code
Residents in the 64128 ZIP code have the lowest life expectancy of 68.1 years, and 86% of them are Black. Meanwhile, the other Kansas City ZIP code 64113s life expectancy is 18.2 years higher (86.3 years) and consists of 93% white residents.
A very similar racial disparity of life expectancy rates (18 years between white and Black) exist across racially segregated ZIP codes in the St. Louis metro area that are less than 10 miles apart.
The science tells us trauma and toxic stress, including the trauma that comes from systemic racism, leads to poor health outcomes, said Jennifer Brinkmann, AWC president.
With our newly formed affiliation, AWC and RHC will improve the lives for thousands of people across Missouri.
The RHCs new strategic plan builds on its past successes and seeks to eliminate all health disparities, according to the organization. It calls for facilitating systems-level change guided by community members experiencing unjust health outcomes.
This affiliation between two well-respected organization allows us to give families the opportunity to thrive, said Sharonica Hardin-Bartley, University City School District superintendent and AWC chair.
We know our students have a more difficult time learning when they and their families arent in good health. Until we prioritize the well-being of everyone, regardless of income and race, our children will fall behind educationally and in other ways.
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Friday, March 24, 2023 at 11:00 am