St. Louis, Missouri: St. Luke's Hospital Signs Letter of Intent to Join BJC Health

St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield will join BJC Health under a letter of intent the two organizations signed and announced on Wednesday, November 11. The deal would end St. Luke's run as an independent nonprofit system and place its 493-bed hospital and 30 locations across the St. Louis area inside the region's largest health system.

The letter of intent follows an evaluation led by the St. Luke's Board of Directors to pick a path for the hospital's future. In the coming months, BJC and St. Luke's will work toward a definitive agreement and complete the regulatory reviews the deal requires. Until then, nothing changes for patients: St. Luke's said patients can continue to see their providers and keep services and appointments as scheduled.

"St. Luke's is a trusted leader in our region with a reputation for excellence," said Nick Barto, president and CEO of BJC Health. "Together, we will build on that foundation through our aligned clinical strengths and complementary services."

Andy Bagnall, president and CEO of St. Luke's, said the demands of health care delivery and the needs of the community are changing rapidly. "We believe that together with BJC, we can strengthen patient care in St. Louis in ways we could not easily do on our own," Bagnall said.

What BJC brings, and what patients gain

BJC said it plans to support St. Luke's with clinical technology and equipment, facility and infrastructure upgrades, and help with provider recruitment and retention. St. Luke's patients would gain wider access to care across BJC and WashU Medicine, from primary and community care to specialized and subspecialty services, including at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital.

Vincent Ferrari, chairman of the St. Luke's board, noted the hospital's long history. "For 160 years, St. Luke's has cared for generations of families across the St. Louis region," Ferrari said. He said the board picked BJC because it shares the hospital's commitment to patients and quality and respects its mission, culture and identity.

Two systems with similar names

BJC is one of the largest academic health care organizations in the country and one of the largest private employers in Missouri, with nearly 50,000 employees, 27 hospitals and hundreds of clinics. It runs BJC HealthCare in the St. Louis area and, since its 2024 merger with the Kansas City system, Saint Luke's in the Kansas City area.

That Kansas City Saint Luke's is a different organization from St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield, and the two are not affiliated, Becker's Hospital Review noted. St. Luke's in Chesterfield was founded in 1866 and has grown into a network with more than 60 specialties. Its hospital on South Woods Mill Road serves as the hub for west St. Louis County.

The two organizations did not announce a closing date. The signing starts months of work on a final agreement and regulatory review before St. Luke's formally becomes part of BJC.