Annual Report for Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area

Since SSM Health’s founding sisters began their ministry in St. Louis with just $5 among them more than 145 years ago, it has grown into one of the largest integrated delivery systems in the nation. In the St. Louis region in 2022, SSM Health operated eight hospitals, including one academic medical center; one pediatric academic medical center; 76 multi-specialty physician clinic locations; numerous outpatient locations; six urgent care centers; one behavioral health urgent care center; and over 60 rehabilitation clinics and one free-standing rehabilitation hospital in partnership with Select Medical (a U.S.- based company specializing in rehabilitation and occupational health). 

Improving the health and lives of those we serve has always been at the forefront of the work we do, and in the St. Louis region, SSM Health’s efforts concentrate on the most pressing health needs of our communities, including substance misuse, maternal health, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and access to care.

SSM Health provided $173,996,921 in St. Louis community benefit for 2022.

2022 St. Louis Community Benefit by the Numbers

The WISH

Providing high-risk maternity care in St. Louis

At SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - St. Louis, our team of professionals at The WISH (Women and Infant Substance Help) Center provides comprehensive, high-risk maternity care for people who are affected by opioid dependency. The WISH Center operates on the foundational principles of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) – the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies for the treatment of substance use disorders.

When a baby is born addicted and must go through “withdrawal,” the condition is known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). The average length of stay in the NICU for babies born with NAS at SSM Health St. Mary’s was 17.4 days. For babies born from WISH Center moms, the average nursery stay is 6.9 days. In addition to the care patients receive during pregnancy, the Aftercare Program of WISH supports moms for two years post-delivery, with the goal of supporting her in her sobriety into her next pregnancy.

In 2022, the WISH Center had 2,006 patient encounters resulting in 214 deliveries. The groundbreaking facility was the first in the St. Louis region, and one of few in the nation, to provide non-judgmental holistic care for mothers with addictions and their unborn children. It serves as a prototype for organizations looking to support this vulnerable population.