Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Christian Hospital earn recognition for equitable access

Two BJC Health System hospitals, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Christian Hospital, have been included among 53 “Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access” by U.S. News & World Report.

The new accolade and corresponding hospitals were revealed June 5 at a special "The State of Equity in America" event hosted by U.S. New & World Report in Washington, D.C. U.S. News' analysis of all current Best Regional Hospitals in the U.S. identified just 53 hospitals in 26 states achieving excellent outcomes among under-resourced communities. St. Louis is one of only five cities nationwide to have two hospitals meeting the criteria.

"U.S. News' recognition of the Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access highlights the important and necessary work hospitals are doing to improve care for underserved communities," said Tavia Binger, senior health data analyst at U.S. News.

Among the criteria studied in the publication’s analysis are the percentage of inpatient visits that involve patients who live in more socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods, the percentage of a hospital’s Medicaid population, and having a patient population that reflects the racial and ethnic composition of the surrounding community.

“Along with serving as an academic hospital, Barnes-Jewish serves as a community hospital for the city of St. Louis, providing care and treatment to those who are under-resourced and the most vulnerable in our community,” explained John Lynch, MD, president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “The first six words of our academic medical center mission are ‘We take exceptional care of people,’ and our team, including our Washington University School of Medicine partners, live that mission for everyone who walks through our doors.”

“This recognition reflects our commitment to eliminate health disparities and the many social and economic barriers that exist to access care in our community,” says Christian Hospital president Rick Stevens. “We truly believe that everyone should have the opportunity for a healthy and productive life as we continually address the many root causes of those health inequities that have existed for generations.” 

“We are extremely proud to serve all of our communities, and especially those where our patients may not have alternative health providers to turn to,” said Rich Liekweg, BJC Health System CEO. “It’s important that as we work to treat our patients today, we also focus on future opportunities to improve the health of our underserved communities through infrastructure investments. I am excited to continue this work and see its impact in the years ahead.”