We partner with nonprofit organizations, community residents with lived experiences, and BJC HealthCare's Community Health Improvement team to convene, support, and lead efforts that address individual health needs and systemic barriers to health equity. Your gift funds community programs designed to eliminate health disparities in under-resourced communities in the City of St. Louis, North St. Louis County, and rural areas. Together, we can give all people the opportunity to live their healthiest possible lives.

School Health and Wellness

With support from our donors, BJC Community Health Improvement partners with more than 50 schools and five community organizations to advance equitable health and educational outcomes through BJC's Community Wellness Hub program. The hubs offer families, adults, and children a trusted a safe place for respite, mental wellness programming, and resource connection year-round. Your philanthropic support will empower thousands of families with coping methods to improve their mental wellness each year.

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Healthy Eating Active Living

Thousands of St. Louis neighbors face food insecurity and are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each year. Through BJC's Healthy Eating Active Living initiative, we work to reduce the prevalence of chronic conditions by improving access to healthy food and providing health education. Philanthropic support advances critical BJC programs that provide food, nutrition education, access to safe spaces for physical activity, and social support to patients and their families to create long-term healthy habits.

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Improving Black Infant and Maternal Health Outcomes

Missouri has the seventh highest maternal mortality rate in the nation, with Black women 3.5 times as likely to die during pregnancy or from complications arising during childbirth compared to white women. With support from donors like you, BJC HealthCare is working to eliminate racial disparities by collaborating with community-based doulas and building clinical care teams that reflect the community it serves to help improve equity in maternal health outcomes.

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Equitable Vaccinations and Screenings

Vaccines and screenings play a pivotal role in saving lives, yet vaccination rates continue to fall below targets set by Healthy People 2030. Generous donors make it possible for BJC HealthCare to provide free flu vaccinations, year-round screening events, and other preventative services in under-resourced communities.

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New Responsive Initiatives 

Health equity is about everyone having an equal opportunity to be as healthy as possible. That means addressing the systems and structures that stand in the way of optimal health. Your support will enable us to address emerging community needs (e.g., housing security, gun safety and violence reduction, digital divide, etc.).

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Search the documents below to learn more about the areas that interest you. Discover how your generosity enriches lives, saves lives, and transforms health care.

Meet Robert Schwendinger

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Robert Schwendinger’s resume is so dedicated to health care that, at a glance, one might assume that he attended medical school instead of law school.

During his 45 years practicing law, Bob provided strategic advice to and legal representation for hospitals, physician groups, and other health care providers. He was a partner at Armstrong Teasdale, LLP, where he led the firm’s health care practice group. Outside of his law practice, he served on the American Diabetes Association and Community Health Charities boards. He was also formerly president of the American Parkinson’s Disease Association Missouri Chapter.

Additionally, he was an active member of Washington University’s Human Research Protection Office, where he reviewed clinical protocols to ensure that participants were fully informed when they consented to participate in research studies. He also served on the committee that set up the university’s Cordell Institute for Policy in Medicine & Law, which brings health care experts together with legal and policy experts to develop solutions for the novel ethical and legal questions that arise from scientific and technological advancements.

Despite retiring from his legal career, Bob is staying active in the future of health care by joining the board of The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “I like making my time useful, and we have friends and associates that are involved in health care, so it’s not hard for me to want to help,” he explains.

Although a new board member, Bob is quite familiar with the Foundation. His wife, Tanja, served on the Foundation’s board from 2017 to 2022, and they have been loyal attendees of Foundation events. The Schwendingers have generously participated in fundraising challenges for nursing scholarships at Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing.

“I like the idea of the Foundation working in collaboration with existing community organizations,” he says. Bob is excited to be more involved with BJC Community Health Improvement’s Community Wellness Hubs, which are being established in trusted places in underserved St. Louis neighborhoods to connect community members with essential programs and services to advance health equity, improve health outcomes, and enhance quality of life.

True to his strategic background, Bob aims to learn about needs before advocating for solutions. “I’m listening right now,” he says. “I think that’s the role of a new board number. I have good intentions. It’s a worthy cause. I’m willing to help. There’s compelling need. I just want to try to make the most out of our time and our treasure."

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