Emergency Medicine

The now-shuttered South City Hospital on Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, in St. Louis’ Dutchtown neighborhood. South City Hospital, formerly known as St. Alexius, suddenly closed after 154 years serving the south St. Louis community.

South St. Louis hospital's closure leaves social, economic void in Dutchtown

Sarah Fentem

Owners of South City Hospital in Dutchtown, previously known as St. Alexius, announced last week they were closing the 178-bed location.

SSM Health DePaul Hospital, photographed on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 in Bridgeton, Mo. SSM has announced the hospital’s trauma center, the last state-designated trauma center in north St. Louis County, will be shut down.

Health, Science & Environment

SSM Health trauma service cuts at DePaul Hospital could harm patients, advocates say

Sarah Fentem

SSM Health is shutting down its trauma center at DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton, the last state-designated trauma center in north St. Louis County. SSM Health officials say it's because so few patients who come to the hospital ER need trauma services, but advocates and EMS workers say the decision could put patients with life-threatening injuries at risk.

Children Under Fire is a series examining how communities are affected when children are killed by gun violence.

Health, Science & Environment

In St. Louis ERs, gunshot wounds are a daily occurrence — and a public health emergency

Emily Woodbury

St. Louis physician Kristen Mueller reflects on the toll of the gun violence she witnesses in the emergency room.

A hospital worker rolls equipment through the intensive care

Health, Science & Environment

St. Louis Health Care Workers Feel Strain As Coronavirus Cases Spike

Emily Woodbury

Members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said that as hospitals in the St. Louis region near their capacity to treat coronavirus patients, doctors, nurses and other hospital staff are overworked and afraid.

Dr. Robert Poirier works in the Barnes-Jewish Hospital emergency department. He says patients are dying because they're waiting too long to seek care in the region's ERs.

Health, Science & Environment

Fear Of COVID-19 Is Keeping Patients From Seeking Lifesaving Emergency Treatment

Sarah Fentem

People in the St. Louis region are dying from preventable causes such as strokes or heart attacks because they’re afraid of contracting COVID-19 in…

health officials are expecting the peak on/around April 25. But another, potentially worse, peak could come if businesses/etc try to go back to normal before wide-spread testing becomes available.

Health, Science & Environment

As St. Louis COVID-19 Cases Hit Likely Peak, Hospitals Avoid Rationing Care

Emily Woodbury

In mid-April, the incident commander of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, Dr. Alex Garza, predicted that hospitalizations of COVID-19 cases…

"Fires don't chase firemen home," said Dr. Howie Mell, an emergency physician. "But this bug chases lots of folks home, and that's a new reality."

Health, Science & Environment

As Coronavirus Spreads, Doctors Fear For Themselves — And Their Families

Sarah Fentem

As an emergency room physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Evan Schwarz is used to working under pressure. But when he and his team connect a COVID-19…

The rate of emergency room admissions for child sex abuse in the U.S. nearly doubled between 2010 and 2016, according to research from Saint Louis University.

Health, Science & Environment

More Kids Are Being Admitted To The ER For Sex Abuse, Say SLU Researchers

Shahla Farzan

Children who have suffered sexual abuse are now going to the ER at much higher rates compared to a decade ago, according to research from St. Louis…

Dr. Laurie Punch, a trauma surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, is adamant that violence is a true medical problem doctors must treat in both the operating room and the community.

Trauma Surgeon Battles Bullets In The Operating Room And The Community

Laura Ungar

Weary of losing neighbors and patients to gunfire, St. Louis trauma surgeon Laurie Punch has a message: Gun violence is contagious, but so is healing. Doctors who teach can be part of the solution.

Captain Garon Mosby of the St. Louis Fire Department (at left) and Helen Sandkuhl of SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital joined Monday's talk show.

Health, Science & Environment

Exposure To Violent Crime And Its Long-Term Impact On First Responders

Emily Woodbury

Last week, St. Louis Fire Department Chief Dennis Jenkerson said that paramedics see the impact of so much violence that they're quitting faster than he…