HPES provides free health screening services and health education to the underserved and uninsured that live in targeted service areas in St. Louis City, where there is a dearth of medical facilities and private physician offices.
What We Do.
HPES provides free health screening services and health education to the under served and uninsured that live in targeted service areas in St. Louis City and County, where there are limited medical facilities and private physician offices.
Along with screening tests, HPES provides one-on-one consultation with a physician after testing. Each new screening client receives the Adult Medical Handbook with helpful topics and information on community resources. The Adult Medical Handbook is provided in eight languages: Mandarin, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Bosnian, Vietnamese, Russian, Farsi and English.
Breaking Down Barriers to Healthcare.
Hilda is a resident of University City. She discovered that HPES conducts health screenings after reading a bulletin board in Heman Park advertising the screenings. She came to her first screening. Hilda says, “I had a very good experience that created a positive attitude in me. For that I am very appreciative. Hilda remembers that everyone was very kind and that the mdical students were very helful. “Everyone listned to my problems.” The physician she counseled with, Dr. Steve Plax, referred her to People’s Health Center. She also visited the dental station during her visit; and the dentist. Dr. Ronnie Drake, referred her to People’s Dental Clinic. HPES paid for the co-pay for Hilda’s first medical appointment at People’s Health Center and the first dental appointment at the People’s Dental Clinic.
Who We Serve
HPES clients are primarily impoverished and are unable to obtain basic health maintenance services through the traditional healthcare system. Participants in our health screenings are of many races and ethnicities and speak many languages. In addition, 81% of HPES clients are non-English speaking or have limited English proficiency. HPES targets the uninsured and underserved in geographic regions that have little access to health services through hospitals or private physicians.
In 2023, HPES served 701 clients: 40% Chinese, 20% Spanish, 12% African American, 6% Caucasian, 4% Ukrainian, 3% Indian, 2% Vietnamese and 12% Other ethnicities.
Anyone is eligible to receive a health screening who is 15 years and older. There are no residency requirements. There are no income requirements.
Success Stories
Pearly: Pearly is as conscientious about her health as she is about being a mother, grandmother and professional childcare worker. One day last year she came across an HPES flier at the day care center where she is employed. Pearly decided she would give this medical screening a try. She liked the idea that she didn’t have to wait for an appointment. She also liked the idea that the service was close to her place of employment. She visited the University City Library one Saturday morning in January for a health screening.
Pearly wasn’t quite sure what her health status was. She knew her cholesterol count was probably a little higher than it should be. What she discovered, however, was her cholesterol level much higher than she imagined. She took other tests including an EKG, vision and audio examination. She spoke one-on-one to a doctor who encouraged her to seek further medical attention. She also received a medical handbook in the form of a notebook that included the HPES health screening test.
Pearly thinks HPES is a great service. “I refer back to my notebook often when I want to find more information about my health.” She is proud to say that she has taken steps to get her cholesterol under control and she continues to manage her health care. At the time of her visit, she did not have health insurance. However, since then, she has enrolled in a health maintenance insurance plan on her job.
At its core, the purpose of HPES is to detect disease early and provide the opportunity for early intervention. The ultimate goal of HPES is to provide culturally and ethnically relevant health information and effective patient education to help clients modify their lifestyles and access needed healthcare services.
Staff & Board
STAFF & BOARD
2024 Board of Directors
Chair
Lisa McGuire, PharmD
Secretary
Carrie L. Batty, PharmD, BCPS, BCCP
Directors
Ronnie Drake, DDS
Nicole Helsinger, PharmD
Catherine Ifune, MD, PhD, MBA
Pauline Kim, JD
Heidi H. Tastet, MD
Mark Wald, MD, FCCP, D.ABIM
Monique M. Williams, MD, MCSI
Nurse Coordinator
Diana Dahl, RN, DOH
Program Manager
Yanping Gu
Program Coordinator
Tatiana Marchenko
Diane Berry, Executive Director