Wentzville now open

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Now open: the BJC Outpatient Center in Wentzville

By Shelly Sprenke

On Sept. 8, BJC HealthCare opened its first standalone building in Wentzville, the BJC Outpatient Center. Located off Wentzville Parkway, this new, modern facility offers the community an array of outpatient services, from primary care to convenient care.

“We are so excited to offer BJC services and access to a BJC facility to everyone in the community,” shares Shelly Sprenke, regional practice administrator for BJC Medical Group. “We are excited to welcome patients into the building.”

Pediatrics, primary and women’s care

The Outpatient Center is staffed with BJC Medical Group primary care physicians for preventive and acute care. With providers who are certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics, they can care for patients of all ages, including newborns. Also on site, BJC Medical Group obstetrician-gynecologists deliver women’s health services, in affiliation with Progress West Hospital. The primary care and OB-GYN offices are open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Convenient care

A convenient care is located in the facility, providing patients ages two and up with immediate, same-day care for moderate illnesses and injuries. This includes allergies, earaches, minor burns and sprains, among numerous other ailments. In addition, the convenient care offers sports physicals, blood pressure checks and common vaccinations. It is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. No appointment is necessary; walk-ins are welcome.

Additional services

The spacious facility also houses a radiology team, providing daily diagnostic services such as X-rays of the chest, abdomen, all the extremities, spine and head. Walk-ins are welcome for these services with a prescription from your doctor. In the future, BJC hopes to expand the facility’s offerings to include additional specialties, like cardiology or endocrinology, on site.

With access to world-class physicians and an array of services for both wellness and illness, the BJC Outpatient Center in Wentzville can address all of your health care needs close to home.

Shelly Sprenke is a regional practice administrator at the BJC Outpatient Center. The BJC Outpatient Center is located at 1520 Wentzville Parkway in Wentzville. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit BJCStCharlesCounty. org or call 636-928-WELL.

St. Charles County ranks high in state, national health reports

In the midst of the pandemic, there’s good news about health for St. Charles County residents. The county ranks 82nd of 3,000 communities evaluated nationwide in the “2020 Healthiest Communities” report by U.S News and World Report. This comes on the heels of ranking at the top of Missouri’s healthiest counties again earlier this year in the annual “County Health Rankings” report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute.

“While we’ve consistently ranked high in these reports in other years, this news is especially good to hear in 2020,” says County Executive Steve Ehlmann. “The health and safety of our community is of top priority and I am proud of the work our Public Health Department has done to give our citizens the information and programs they need to make good choices.”

The U.S. News and World Report evaluates counties on 84 metrics across 10 health and health-related categories which include population health, equity, education, economy, housing, food and nutrition, environment, public safety, community vitality, and infrastructure. It assesses which communities offer their citizens the greatest opportunity to live productive, healthy lives. The report found that St. Charles County scored better than the state and the nation in percentage of residents who are in good general health, engage in physical activity, do not smoke, have health insurance, and more. The report also considers factors such as life expectancy and mental health. The county’s overall score of 74 out of 100; the U.S. and Missouri both rated 46.

Beyond the rankings, this report offers data and insight on each of the thousands of communities evaluated that educates and informs consumers and policymakers about what is occurring in their communities. This year’s report includes new tools that track COVID-19, and while specific COVID data is not included in the analysis and rankings, it does include data on diseases relevant to the pandemic.

The report has been issued for three years, and St. Charles County has ranked well all three years. In 2019, the county ranked 80th and in 2018, was 83rd.

This is the 11th consecutive year the county has ranked among the top counties for health outcomes and health factors in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute “County Health Rankings” report. St. Charles County ranks second in the state for both Health Outcomes and Health Factors. These rankings are based on public data collected from vital statistics and government surveys. Health Outcomes considers the length of life and health status of residents; Health Factors encompasses healthy behaviors, available clinic care, education and income levels.

“As public health professionals, staff in the St. Charles County Department of Public Health are dedicated to making certain our residents have the tools and

education they need to choose healthy lifestyles,” says Department Director Demetrius Cianci-Chapman. “This has been especially important this year with COVID-19. My staff continues to work diligently to meet the challenges of 2020, and it is rewarding to be recognized for contributing to the good health status of St. Charles County residents.”

Arch Apparel and Pleated Boutique pop-ups add to Streets of St. Charles retail line-up

Streets of St. Charles adds two new retail Pop-Ups for fall and holiday shopping this week. Arch Apparel, opened Oct. 3, and Pleated, opened Oct. 1, will join Ju Ju B’s, MOD and Olivino, furthering the Streets’ retail shopping options as the holiday season approaches.

Arch Apparel, located on Beale Street next to U-Swirl, is a local St. louis-inspired streetwear brand that was started online in 2016. They are most known for their City Circle design - an STL within a circle - as well as their "Play Gloria” and “Finally” tees launched last spring to celebrate the St. Louis Blues winning the Stanley Cup.

Kirsten Coonen, Creative Director for Arch Apparel stated, “What we love even more than our t-shirts is the opportunity to be a part of, and involved in, the community of St. Louis, and now St. Charles! We truly want to make our community of St. Louis a better place, which is why we work collaboratively with other St. Louis brands and organizations, as well as seek out charitable opportunities. We are excited to share our love of St. Louis with the people in the St. Charles area! We will be offering many of our classic designs as well as some of our new fall items, and we are particularly excited to offer new St. Charles and “636”-inspired gear! Later this year we will have many new items for the holiday season which are excellent for gifts!”

As working moms and longtime friends, St. Charles natives, Lisa Rose and Angela Trokey came together in 2017 on a mission to simplify shopping for themselves and their friends and the online store, Pleated, was born, solving the problem for them and thousands more women. The idea to sell clothes online with fast and free shipping came after they realized their options were limited when trying to quickly find cute outfits for various occasions. Pleated carries unique and fashionable styles for women, as well as some clothing for children and giftable items.

Lisa Rose, Pleated co-owner, stated “We quickly grew out of working from Angela's basement and hosting Sunday night live sales, and expanded into warehouse and office space in Chesterfield, but recently found ourselves asking, ‘what’s next?’ A brick-and-mortar popup shop felt like the right step for us and Streets of St. Charles is the perfect place for our shop!”

“We’re thrilled to welcome these local businesses to Streets of St. Charles, providing our customers with even more choices,” stated Patricia Kueneke, Sr. Leasing Representative with Cullinan Properties, Ltd. “Brick-and-mortar stores continue to be an important part of the retail shopping experience. Let’s make this the best fall and holiday for these boutiques so they will become permanent members of the retail community at Streets of St. Charles.”

West Community Credit Union funds $22 million with Paycheck Protection Program

West Community Credit Union, a certified SBA lender who assisted businesses in obtaining the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, is pleased to be in the top 100

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Credit Unions nationwide who offered the program; top three in credit union production in Missouri by funding $22,229,100.

As part of the federal CARES Act, the SBA began offering the program to small businesses with funds to pay up to eight weeks of payroll costs as well as mortgage interest, rent and utilities during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The West Community business lending team worked tirelessly during funding and were able to assist 100% of the business applicants who qualified for assistance during the 18 week time period.

“In economic uncertainty it’s critical for us to be there to provide support and financial relief for our business members and businesses that serve our communities,” stated Jason Peach, West Community President/CEO. “Our highly engaged team was determined to help as many businesses as possible, keeping nearly 2,000 community members on payroll– and that’s a great feeling.”

West Community Credit Union has been a business lender for over 15 years and serves businesses in St. Louis, St. Charles and Boone Counties.

“We are committed to making a difference in and supporting our communities.” Richard Dillard, Director of Business Services stated. “If there is additional funding made available, we are well positioned and ready to help business owners.”

As of Aug. 8, the SBA is no longer accepting PPP loan applications from lenders. West Community Credit Union is monitoring updates from Congress about a possible extension or changes to the program.