Cardinals baseball player helps launch wellness center for adults with Down syndrome in St. Louis

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- Kids in the area with Down syndrome generally have access to good medical care. Then they turn 18 and their options dwindle.

That's what Beth Schroeder, former president of the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis, found when she talked to parents, and the challenge she saw facing her with her own son. He was getting too old for his pediatrician, who was well-versed in Down syndrome's challenges, but it wasn't easy finding a doctor ready to handle the challenges as he became an adult.

"There are medical issues and other issues involved," Schroeder said. "It's hard to just find a doctor in the Yellow Pages who's going to understand all that."

Schroeder and others brought their concerns to St. Luke's Hospital last year, and Wednesday night attended the opening of the Albert Pujols Wellness Center for Adults with Down Syndrome at the hospital.

With the support of Pujols (pictured), who designated a $70,000 award from the Major League Baseball Players Trust to the center, and others, the center began taking patients last week.

"It's a special day not just for the Pujols family but for all families with adults with Down Syndrome," Pujols said at the opening ceremony. GALLERY
More photos from the grand opening

The center, the first of its kind in the state and one of the first in the country, will give care and support to adults with Down syndrome and their families. After a preliminary physical, patients are referred to wellness services focused on nutrition, exercise, safety and social and emotional well-being, all at the Desloge Outpatient Center where the Pujols Wellness Center is based.

Pujols and his wife, Deidre Pujols, have a daughter with Down syndrome and have supported a number of related causes in the area. Albert Pujols said he wants those sorts of things to be his legacy.

"It's not what I do on the field, it's what I do off the field," the Cardinals first baseman said. "I want people to remember me for that."

Representatives at St. Luke's say the center will fill a void in the community and hope it can grow and become a model for other cities.

Angela Jackson brought her brother James Judy to check out the offerings. Judy, 41, has Down syndrome and lives in a group home in Alton. Jackson said Chesterfield would be a long trip on a regular basis. But she said the services are needed and she wanted to see the center and think about what it could offer for her brother. For his part, Judy was just excited to see Pujols.

"People with Down syndrome have very specific needs," Jackson said. "It's difficult to find physicians that have experience with people with those needs. We wanted to see what resources they offer here."

Schroeder said she hopes the center fits the bill.

"Parents of people with Down syndrome want the same as any other parent," Schroeder said. "We want our children to be happy, healthy and successful. You just need a few more people helping them, and this is huge."