Removing Barriers on the Journey to Health

When extraordinary care means looking beyond the hospital walls, the case management and social services team at Barnes-Jewish Hospital helps to bridge the gaps in holistic patient care, thanks to funding from Foundation donors.

Supporting Patients Beyond the Hospital Walls

Removing barriers to care is crucial to support better health outcomes and to help people thrive. Through the case management and social services team at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, generous Foundation donors help provide essential care and services to improve the stability of patients and families—compassionate support that helps ensure families are not forced to disregard rent or grocery costs to seek medical care.

Whether these dollars are providing comfort and critical assistance to help patients focus on healing and navigating their recoveries, offering stable housing and assistance with coordinating medical care, or allocating café vouchers and gift cards to help bridge the gap in needed care items, Foundation donors help to ensure that no patient is left wondering what to do next.

Especially for those in need of highly specialized treatment, transportation can cause a significant barrier to receiving care. From cab rides to bus tickets to gas cards, the team ensures that patients and families can access lifesaving specialized treatment at Barnes-Jewish Hospital without the added stress of transportation costs.

When a patient transferred from northern Illinois was in critical care, lodging assistance and café vouchers allowed her mother and sister to make the trip to talk face to face with physicians and caregivers to make the best decisions about her care.

With donor support, the case management and social services team at Barnes-Jewish Hospital helps make the difference in long-term patient health by providing for patients and families in their most difficult and vulnerable moments. And thanks to partners like Southwest Airlines, we can now offer transportation around the world for those who need it most.

The Sky Is the Limit

In 2007, Southwest Airlines launched the Southwest Airlines Medical Transportation Grant Program to provide much-needed assistance to patients and families who are traveling for specialized or life-changing medical care. Through the program, Southwest partners with nonprofit hospitals and medical transportation organizations and provides round-trip tickets to distribute directly to patients and caregivers in need.

The Medical Transportation Grant Program is a critical lifeline. Since Barnes-Jewish Hospital first received the grant in 2011, Southwest Airlines has provided more than 1,300 vouchers to ensure that critically ill patients from across the United States have access to the most innovative treatment and lifesaving care available at BJC. In addition, Southwest recently expanded its program to provide international travel vouchers to further eliminate barriers to health care for people around the world.

By lessening the financial burden associated with travel and removing transportation barriers when time is of the essence, Southwest ensures that patients and their families can access the best treatments available, as quickly as possible, by specialists at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.