Community Message

I want to personally say thank you and congratulations to the greater St. Louis metropolitan community and all persons who made The Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers (BJK PHC) what it is today! Thanks to you, PHC is a community based health center that provides excellent quality care for those in need. In addition, this year I will begin my 30th anniversary serving as the C.E.O.

As I look back over my 30-year career and the wonderful board members, staff and providers that have worked and assisted during that tenure, I have to say how proud I am of the strong foundation that was laid in order for BJK PHC to have grown as much as it has. We owe it all to you. BJK PHC has a thirty-five year history of providing primary care and prevention health services that are program integrated and accessible first. All health services are provided by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health needs of the residents in this community.

Over the years, BJK PHC providers have developed sustained partnerships with patients to manage their health and practice in the context of family and community. Our history distinguishes BJK PHC through several attributes that provide the structure within which the broad themes of this annual report will address. Critical elements of BJK PHC's strategic plan include our commitment to health disparity reduction strategies and age appropriate health outcome measures provided by board certified physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants-but also involving a broader array of health care professionals in the primary care team.

As board Chairman many of the challenges to primary healthcare practice have been met. Primary health care is now a well-defined entity whose components can be measured, thus allowing for the assessment of the quality of its delivery. This report reflects our commitment, resource allocation and impact on the total community. The challenges that remain for safety net providers is the integration of primary care with other levels of the health services delivery system and the institutionalization of the focal role of primary health care within those health services systems. The integration of primary care and access to affordable specialty care is now essential. Thirty-five years ago, in 1972, medical students, physicians and community activists started BJK PHC as a free clinic. It wasn’t easy but all those efforts were worth it, and we’ve come too far to stop now.

Sincerely,

Betty Jean Kerr
Chief Executive Officer

Irving C. Clay, Jr.
Chairman, Board of Directors