Episcopal Presbyterian Health Trust

“As the Episcopal prayer book states, the mission of the church is to restore a broken world and return it to Jesus Christ. The Trust certainly puts us in places where there is brokenness and allows us to provide leadership. It provides us--in partnership with the Presbyterians--with resources that can effect change in the healthcare system, especially among underserved populations.”--Right Reverend George Wayne Smith, Bishop of Missouri

EPHT, formerly the Episcopal Presbyterian Charitable Health and Medical Trust, is dedicated to providing access to health care for underserved populations. Our mission grew out of a commitment to a healthcare ministry in our community and is stewarded by volunteer leadership from both the Episcopal and Presbyterian faiths.

We work in partnership with organizations that share our commitment to health access for all residents of the St. Louis region. Through our responsive grant program and health initiative leadership, we further the work of Jesus Christ by providing health care resources for those who need them most.

History. In 1975, St. Luke's Hospital-West opened in Chesterfield. It was hoped that revenues generated by the second hospital in an affluent suburb would help support indigent care at St. Luke's Hospital in the city. That benefit was not realized and the old St. Luke's was put up for sale in 1984 and eventually sold.

As part of the settlement between St. Luke's Episcopal-Presbyterian Hospitals and the Diocese of Missouri and the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy over the sale of the hospital, the Episcopal-Presbyterian Charitable Health & Medical Trust was established in 1985 with an initial investment of $8.5 million. The expressed purpose of the trust is to continue the health care ministry to the poor started in 1865.