St. John's Clinic donates nearly $5000 to Rolla-area school children
Oct. 22, 2004

St. John's Clinic presented a check for nearly $5000 to Missouri Ozarks Community Action Agency in support of Crawford, Dent, Phelps and Pulaski County school district children at noon, Oct. 22, 2004 at the Missouri Career Center.

The money will provide funds to supply basic apparel necessities, such as socks, shoes and underwear, for approximately 138 school-aged children.
“These children may not otherwise have the means to purchase appropriate clothing for school and other activities,” explains Sean McEnaney, M.D., St. John’s Clinic – Rolla pediatrician who came up with the idea after, St. John’s Clinic Board wanted to do a project that positively impacted the community. “We hope this will help school-aged children feel better about themselves and encourage them to have good attendance,” says Randall Huss, M.D., St. John’s Clinic president.

"We are fortunate that St. John’s Clinic recognized the need and was willing to do what they could to help out, says Jane Moser. “Special thanks to St. John's Clinic for their extraordinary donation.”

This is the latest project in an initiative called the “Force for Good” and involves harnessing the good will, resources and leadership of St. John’s Clinic to benefit those in need. The Force for Good committee is lead by 18 physicians and two clinic senior management managers.

Last December, St. John’s Clinic raised approximately $17,000 and collected three cargo vans full of gifts, food, clothing and supplies for The Kitchen Inc., a ministry for the poor and indigent in the Greene County area. The Kitchen has a medical component who treats only people who are uninsured. Those with Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance are referred to primary care doctors or other clinics that accept those payment sources.

“As the leading health care provider in the region, we believe we have an opportunity and, in fact, an obligation, to care for those in need in our community,” Frank Schmidt, M.D., St. John’s Clinic cardiovascular surgeon and Force for Good co-chairman. “We do this primarily for our patients by providing the best compassionate healthcare available. This, however, does not address the breadth of the need of our community. Therefore, we work to broaden the positive impact St. John’s Clinic has in our community."

St. John's Clinic consists of more than 440 physicians and 90 mid-level and allied health practitioners in 67 offices in 35 communities covering 25,000 square miles of southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas with approximately equal numbers of primary care and specialty physicians. St. John’s Clinic served over 1.4 million patients last year and is ranked a Top 10 Clinic nationwide.