Barnes-Jewish Hospital

10/28/2025

Four grueling years on dialysis—three days a week, tethered to a machine for hours, keeping him alive. That was 32-year-old Tim’s reality while waiting for a lifesaving kidney.

Hope for a matching donor was fading until Tim's mother posted a plea on Facebook. A stranger, Joe, saw the post, and something about it moved him. "It was from his mother, you know,” Joe said, "'cause a mother's love is stronger than any bond you can have."

Joe normally delivers food, not miracles. But guided by faith, he chose to give "the gift of life"—his own kidney—to a man he'd never met.

Last month at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Joe's kidney became Tim's. The transplant performed by WashU Medicine Physicians was a success, and now Tim is healing and has found a new brother for life.

Tim and Joe’s story is a reminder of the impact of living organ donation and the second chances it makes possible.

Watch the full KSDK News "Making a Difference" video to see their journey from strangers to brothers: https://heyor.ca/SjuZPK

Feeling inspired by Joe? Learn more about becoming a living donor: https://heyor.ca/6XCAXB

Joe Turner donated a kidney to Tim Heatherly, a stranger he met through a Facebook post, and gave him a second chance at life.

10/24/2025

In the next 10 years, the U.S. will face critical shortages across key health care professions, from nursing to lab sciences. At BJC HealthCare, we're not waiting for a solution—we're taking action.

We're proud to be part of the collaboration that's inspiring the next generation of health care professionals through BELIEVE Academy, which launched in Fall 2024. This groundbreaking, four-year charter high school gives students a direct path to a meaningful, family-sustaining career in health care. It is a vital workforce pathways program created by BELIEVE Academy, BJC HealthCare, The Opportunity Trust, and The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and was powered by a one-year pilot grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The core of the program is its immersion model. Students like Aryana are spending up to 40% of their time immersed in BJC HealthCare hospitals and simulation labs, getting hands-on training across six in-demand career tracts. "We do the things we learn, and we do them in a real hospital.” Aryana said. “Education like that sticks in your brain."

Freshman Deshon is already interested in becoming a medical dosimetrist after his radiology immersion. "It’s hands-on. That’s what we get,” said Deshon. “I think the experiences at the hospital and in the Sim Lab are more important than just learning about something in a classroom."

Read more about the first year of this life-changing partnership: https://heyor.ca/z4HT4y

10/21/2025

You've heard about Plaza West Tower’s state-of-the-art patient rooms, but today, we're celebrating a different kind of excellence: the incredible Food & Nutrition (F&N) team at the new café.

To celebrate their hard work, our very own John Lynch, MD, hospital president and impromptu pizza chef, recently got a hands-on lesson from F&N expert Jason Hicks on the café's new brick oven. (We hear the pizza, with its crispy crust and perfectly cooked toppings, passed quality control!)

Prior to the café's official opening earlier this month, the team completed a phenomenal logistical feat. In just six and a half hours, they relocated the entire café operation from the old Plaza Tower to the new space and still had a hot breakfast ready by 6 a.m.

This new café is more than just a place to grab lunch—it’s an extension of the comfort and excellence that Plaza West Tower is built upon. The next chapter of care has never tasted so good, thanks to the dedicated F&N team's commitment to our Barnes-Jewish community.

Join us in celebrating their dedication to our patients, staff, and visitors.

• • •

Keep an eye out. Coming up soon, we're sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the heart of the F&N operation—the patient meal service. Before we share the details, take a guess: How many patient meals do you think the team prepares and delivers across the entire hospital every year?

10/10/2025

For three-quarters of a century, WashU Medicine Physicians and Barnes-Jewish Hospital have forged a legacy of advancing heart and vascular care by redefining how we protect our body's critical systems. Our new Plaza West Tower stands as a proud milestone in this enduring commitment to moving medicine forward.

Last month, we celebrated the tower's unveiling and honored the craftsmanship that brought its 16 stories to life. Now, as Plaza West Tower prepares to open to patients, we look back at the legacy of heart and vascular care that will pulse throughout every floor.

Our history is defined by firsts. We introduced St. Louis to its first heart-lung bypass machine and performed the region's first cardiopulmonary bypass procedure, ushering in a new era of heart surgery.

In the 1980s, we redefined the standard of heart care. Our teams developed the world’s first blood test to confirm a heart attack and were the first in the world to use the drug tPA to dissolve blood clots, fundamentally changing how a heart attack is diagnosed and treated. These innovations allowed us to offer advanced treatments that saved more lives.

The 1990s and early 2000s marked the beginning of an age of robotics and precision. We installed the Midwest's first dedicated cardiac MRI, performed the first robotic heart procedure, and pioneered non-invasive treatments like TAVR and cardiac radioablation.

We also performed the nation’s first endovascular aortic arch repair. This breakthrough allowed surgeons to fix dangerous ruptures in the aorta—the body's largest artery—without major open surgery.

As we prepare to welcome our first patients into the Plaza West Tower, this history moves forward.

The new state-of-the-art facility—with its private rooms, advanced intensive care, and modern imaging—is designed to match the excellence of our care teams, ensuring patients receive extraordinary care and experience faster healing in an environment of comfort and respect.

We aren't just moving into a building; we are stepping forward into the next chapter of life-saving medicine at Barnes-Jewish.

Read the full story of our heart and vascular legacy and meet the pioneers who built the foundation for the care we deliver today: https://heyor.ca/La99JS

10/07/2025

We're proud to celebrate our partners at St. Louis Children's Hospital for their continued excellence!

St. Louis Children's Hospital has been recognized as the #1 Children's Hospital in Missouri by U.S. News & World Report and ranked in all 11 specialties. This remarkable achievement reflects their dedication to providing the very best care for children and their families.

St. Louis Children's Hospital is the #1 Children's Hospital in Missouri. 🎉

We're proud to share that U.S. News and World Report has recognized St. Louis Children's Hospital, along with our physician partners at WashU Medicine, among America's Best Children's Hospitals. We're also thrilled to announce that St. Louis Children's Hospital has ranked in all 11 specialties, from Cancer Care to Orthopedics. While we are proud of our ranking, we're most proud of our kiddos whose bravery and resilience always inspire us.

“At St. Louis Children’s Hospital, we are committed to providing extraordinary, compassionate care to every patient, every family, every day,” said Trish Lollo, St. Louis Children’s Hospital president. “We are honored to be named the top pediatric hospital in Missouri and St. Louis and take great pride with WashU Medicine in caring for patients and families from our community and beyond.”

Thank you to our community for trusting us in caring for your families. We look forward to doing what's right for kids for many years to come. ❤️

Click to read more about our rankings: https://heyor.ca/wdfjvE

10/06/2025

We spent a beautiful Sunday morning in Forest Park at the Celebrate Life 5K Run/Walk with Mid-America Transplant as the sun rose over Barnes-Jewish Hospital. ☀️

We want to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to every runner, walker, volunteer, and team member who showed up to support this incredible cause.

To every organ donor, donor family, and living donor—because of your incredible generosity, lives are being saved and changed every day. We were humbled to stand alongside the entire St. Louis Transplant Community to honor their impact.

This is the gift of life at work: just one donor can save up to eight people and improve life for 75 more—the legacy of a true hero.

Thank you for inspiring our community to say 'yes' to organ donation.

10/01/2025

2 million hours of craftsmanship, ingenuity, and collaboration have brought the new Plaza West Tower to life.

As the build team's work comes to a close, the torch is now passed, and the collaboration of our Barnes-Jewish Hospital staff and WashU Medicine Physicians is ready to begin. Plaza West's state-of-the-art infrastructure enables this seamless collaboration, giving our expert teams more time to spend with patients while delivering the highest level of care.

When patients are welcomed into the tower, they, their families, and loved ones will find a place designed entirely around healing, surrounded by beautiful spaces and a team committed to them. While the community sees a stunning new addition to our academic campus, we see the foundational teamwork that makes possible the world-class care that will be delivered here.

At 660,000 square feet, the remarkable Plaza West tower is a continuation of our enduring promise to our community. The photos you see here are our tribute to the 3,700 dedicated architects, engineers, and tradespeople who built it from the ground up. We are deeply grateful for the landmark you have built. Thank you—it is our honor to take it from here.

09/19/2025

Today, we celebrate the unveiling of Plaza West Tower, the latest addition to our legacy of service and enduring commitment to the St. Louis community.

For years, we've watched the tower rise floor by floor, a vision in concrete and steel becoming a reality. A promise taking shape.

This isn't just any building. With the tireless work of 3,700 architects, engineers, and skilled tradespeople, we've created an environment designed to enhance patient recovery and healing.

As the #1 hospital in Missouri and the fifth largest in the country, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine Physicians have long been national leaders in delivering the most advanced care to patients from around the world. The new Plaza West Tower is part of our continuing promise to our community—and to the patients who are at the forefront of every decision we make. As Dr. John Lynch, president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital, said:

“The growing demand for critical care requires facilities that are as sophisticated and innovative as the care that we offer. The enhancements in Plaza West Tower are designed to foster collaboration among caregivers, which ultimately benefits our patients.”

This incredible new space will make a real difference for our patients and their loved ones, especially those with the most complex illnesses. It's a place designed to make people feel safe and at ease, with features like:
• 224 private rooms and 56 private ICU beds
• A new cafeteria and two beautiful rooftop gardens for a moment to breathe
• Advanced technology to support our expert care teams
• A design that can accommodate the needs of future pandemics

We are so proud of everyone who was a part of the journey that brought us this far. This tower is a promise made real, and a foundation to train the next generation of care providers who will build their careers right here.

The Plaza West Tower will welcome its first patients this October. We can't wait to share more updates with you soon.

Read the full press release here: https://heyor.ca/B7ONew

ST. LOUIS (September 18, 2025) – Plaza West Tower, the new 16-story patient care tower at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, will welcome patients beginning in October.

09/16/2025

Parents often say they would do anything for their kids. For Esmay’s mom, Halie, that promise became a matter of survival.

When Esmay, an 8-year-old from Arkansas, needed a new liver, Halie stepped forward to become a living donor, offering a portion of her own liver to save her daughter's life. After seeking treatment from across the nation, her family chose Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital for their care.

The seamless collaboration between WashU Medicine Physicians and teams across our two hospitals made this living-donor transplant possible, leading to Esmay's incredible recovery.

High-energy Esmay is now thriving and was able to return to school this fall. We're honored to be a part of her story. Watch the family's story of strength and love from KMOV: https://heyor.ca/JxZnu4

09/10/2025

From leading 4 Hands Brewing Company to facing a Stage 3 cancer diagnosis, Kevin's journey is one of incredible resilience and gratitude. Now, as a Pedal the Cause Featured Fighter, he's turning his fight into fuel for hope.

Kevin's story reminds us why Pedal the Cause’s mission is so vital. The funds raised accelerate breakthrough cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine towards a world where prevention strategies, innovative treatments, and cures are accessible to all.

Watch Kevin's inspiring video and see how together, we're making St. Louis all it can be in the fight against cancer: https://heyor.ca/OzvFBG

09/04/2025

Rodney knew he had a problem with his heart—a faulty valve risked developing into a condition known as mitral regurgitation, which could eventually lead to heart failure. The thought of open-heart surgery kept him from getting the treatment he needed, but at 55, with his condition worsening, he decided it was time to find a less invasive alternative.

His cardiologist referred him to Tsuyoshi Kaneko, MD, a leading cardiothoracic surgeon with WashU Medicine Physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. As pioneers in breakthroughs for heart disease treatment and unmatched experts in minimally invasive surgical procedures, it was no surprise that Dr. Kaneko was the first in the region to perform an innovative robotic mitral valve repair. Rodney knew this was where he needed to be.

Dr. Kaneko explains what makes this surgery so groundbreaking: "We operate through tiny ports between the ribs. Our instruments articulate like a human wrist. It’s like having super-fine forearms inside the chest. Patients often experience faster recovery time, minimal scarring, minimal pain, and are up and walking within a day."

For active patients like Rodney, it's a game-changer. His recovery was swift. "I was out of intensive care in under 24 hours," he recalls. "I was able to sit up and move around after the surgery."

Now, Rodney is back home and looking forward to hiking, scuba diving, and taking a long-delayed trip to Quebec.

Learn more about Rodney’s experience and how this advanced robotic procedure helped him get his momentum back: https://heyor.ca/vhWCsY

08/01/2025

We're celebrating a Barnes-Jewish love story. Brie and Brett, who recently got engaged, met while working as ICU nurses and grew close during their shifts in our COVID-19 ICU. Years later, they are now excelling as certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) doctoral students at Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing.

Their journey from the ICU to walking across the graduation stage together this December is a powerful reflection of the passion, perseverance, and professional growth fostered within BJC HealthCare.

Join us in sending a massive congratulations to this couple. We can't wait to see them launch their careers as WashU Medicine CRNAs, caring for patients throughout BJC HealthCare's hospitals.