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Healthcare

In addition to a host of private practices and medical laboratories, Richmond Heights is home to SSM St. Mary’s Health Center, an affiliate of the SSM Health Care Network — the premier healthcare recipient of the highly-regarded Malcolm Baldridge Award. The hospital is associated with Saint Louis University Medical School’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and also operates an independent, fully accredited residency program in Internal Medicine. Since its establishment in 1924, SSM St. Mary’s Health Center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality in healthcare for all segments of the greater St. Louis community.

The medical center stands as a 582-bed tertiary acute-care teaching hospital offering a comprehensive scope of services in a number of major medical specialties. St. Mary’s is a pioneer in high-risk obstetrical care and is equipped with an outstanding 28-bed neonatal intensive care unit. What’s more, the hospital is a recognized trailblazer in cardiovascular services, which includes open heart surgery, electrophysiology and cardiac catheterization.

In collaboration with SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center and Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Mary’s operates the modern SSM Perinatal Center. Further centers of excellence located at St. Mary’s include the St. Mary’s Knee and Hip Center and the Breast Center; plus, the hospital houses a state-of-the-art Emergency Department that provides emergency care to more than 40,000 patients each year.

In 2007, the Center received several prestigious accolades, placing it among the top healthcare facilities in the area. The hospital was named by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best hospitals in the country for neurology and neurosurgery services, was the recipient of a Premier Award for Quality and was named in the Top 100 Hospitals by the Solucient Center for Healthcare Improvement.

In 2008, St. Mary’s began its $20 million improvement project. Major enhancements include the transformation to providing all private suites, expanding the Emergency Department and the hospital’s maternity services and the addition of an Outpatient Imaging Center.

Richmond Heights is also home to Richmond Terrace (a 99-bed retirement facility in the heart of the city) and the recently built Sunrise Assisted Living facility (a 74-unit facility), which provide varying levels of care to meet the specific needs of residents.

The Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers

The Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers (BJK PHC) has three locations conveniently located throughout St. Louis. The Maplewood site, located at 7200 Manchester Road, provides the quality and professional healthcare services needed for many of the Richmond Heights-Maplewood families. The BJK PHC has been considered as one of the best health centers in St. Louis. In 2006, Governor Matt Blunt named BJK PHC as the “model health center.” The centers have been awarded with A+ immunization ratings for the past five years.

The Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers employs top-notch physicians and nurses to assure the necessary medical needs of the patients. Resident providers of St. Luke’s Hospital also allocate time to care for patients at BJK PHC. The health of the community is the first priority of BJK PHC. Free health screenings and informational events are provided throughout the year as an outreach service to the community. School-based services are made available. A dentist screens students, and a pediatrician provides physicals and immunizations. There’s a triage department, which is accessible on a walk-in basis for anyone in need of immunizations or emergency medical services. This is a necessity for the international community, since many are in need of immunizations when first entering the states.

Everyone is welcome to receive all healthcare needs on a sliding fee scale, regardless of insurance or employment status. It is necessary to provide proof of unemployment. BJK PHC also accepts most major insurance carriers.

Betty Jean Kerr has been CEO/President of BJK PHC for more than 29 years. She’s transformed a staff of two volunteers at a storefront clinic into three comprehensive full-service health centers with a staff of about 200 employees, along with other major improvements. The centers were appropriately renamed from People’s Health Centers to the Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers on July 14, 2007.

Outside of the excellent healthcare services provided at BJK PHC, in cooperation with the People’s Community Development Corporation (PCDC), new homes were built for financially challenged families, in order that they have the ability to own affordable homes. The homes are located in the 5500 block of Cates, which is named People’s Place. The homeowners are participants of a special savings program called Individual Development Accounts (IDA). The William L. Clay Sr. Leisure Living Community is an apartment complex that houses up to 78 units for senior citizens and disabled families. BJK PHC helps to improve the health and quality of life for many people in the community, which is a Mission Accomplished.