Some needs,  while beyond the typical scope of healthcare, are essential to a patient’s well-being—and that sometimes these needs cannot wait, or may even prevent someone from seeking treatment.  

With your gifts, Barnes-Jewish Hospital can improve outcomes for the people we serve by assisting when a patient cannot afford—and has no other options for—basic needs like food, lodging, rent, utilities, medication, emergency dental care, bus or cab fare, or home care equipment.

Your gift for patient care and social services keeps out-of-town family at a patient’s side while in our care, and reduces stressful home environments that harm healing.  

Your gift prevents Emergency Department visits caused when a patient cannot afford a prescription.  

Your gift enables cancer care and transplant surgery to move forward when a patient has a potentially harmful dental infection but cannot afford a dentist.  

Your gift ensures that people with no means of transportation can come to us for the care they need.

There are a variety of funds supporting different areas and interests, including:

• Cancer patients in need.
• Transplant patients in need.
• Immigrants and refugees in need.
• Barnes Lodge, a family-style residence on campus that provides a “home away from home” for out-of-town patients and their families.

Every gift for patient care and social services helps patients like:

• Mrs. R, a self-employed woman from rural Missouri whose husband abandoned her and her daughter after Mrs. R was diagnosed with cervical cancer.  Six weeks of paying to stay in St. Louis for daily radiation treatments, followed by four months of chemotherapy that left her too fatigued to work, depleted her savings.  We gave Mrs. R peace of mind by helping pay for some of her utilities.
   
• Mr. M, who traveled to our hospital from Kennett, Missouri for surgery to treat jaw cancer.  After physicians detected another large tumor, they whisked Mr. M back to surgery.  His family wanted to stay with him after this unforeseen event, but struggled with how to afford their basic needs, including food, because of their extremely limited income.  We covered a week of lodging for Mr. M’s wife and daughter so that they could be here to support Mr. M and pay for their own meals.
   
• Mr. C, a newly-diagnosed diabetic who had not yet been approved for a private health insurance program at the time he was admitted to Barnes-Jewish.  We paid for his insulin and testing supplies until his insurance became effective.
   
• Mr. H, who needed—but could not afford—a special piece of equipment called a stump shrinker so that he could be properly fitted for a prosthetic leg.  Working with his physician, who negotiated a reduced price with the vendor, we provided Mr. H with the device.  He soon returned to his normal daily activities.