Over the next few months, we’ll be recognizing each awardee of our new Spark Prize with a feature article.
The Spark Prize is a $200,000 award for individuals with outstanding vision, commitment, and promise to improve health and well-being in Missouri. The award is an investment in future impact, giving recipients the freedom to use the funding in whatever way best supports them.
Diego Abente
“We don’t live in silos. The health of one person affects the health of all of us. And if we want to be better as a region, we have to make sure that every single person has a way in.”
That belief drives Diego Abente, President and CEO of Casa de Salud, a St. Louis nonprofit dedicated to delivering high-quality clinical and mental health care to uninsured and under-resourced patients – particularly immigrants and newcomers. At Casa, Diego leads a culturally competent, multilingual model of care that bridges the gap between Missouri’s complex health systems and the people most often excluded from them.
Casa doesn’t just treat symptoms. It welcomes patients, offers navigation support, and helps people begin to see themselves as full participants in their communities. For Diego, this work is deeply personal.
A Journey Across Borders
Born in Paraguay, Diego immigrated to the United States as a child. He has built a global career in public health, international development, and nonprofit leadership – with stops in Washington, D.C., Equatorial Guinea, and eventually St. Louis. He has served as Paraguay’s representative to the Inter-American Development Bank, supported malaria prevention efforts in Africa, and helped immigrant entrepreneurs launch businesses as Vice President of Economic Development at the International Institute of St. Louis.
He came to St. Louis to build a life with his wife and start a family. It was here that he first encountered Casa de Salud and the power of place-based health care rooted in dignity.
“When you’re new to this country, nothing feels familiar – least of all the health care system,” Diego says. “Casa exists to meet people where they are and help them not just access care, but understand how to thrive here.”
Leadership Rooted in Equity
Since stepping into the role of CEO in 2020, Diego has expanded Casa’s partnerships, reinforced its sustainability, and deepened its impact. Casa now supports thousands of patients each year through a bilingual care model that includes primary and mental health care, health system navigation, and culturally sensitive education. The goal isn’t just to close gaps, it’s to remove the barriers entirely.
“I want to build a health care system where Casa no longer needs to exist,” he says. “Where equity is built into the design.”
With degrees in law, governance, and business, and more than 20 years of nonprofit management experience, Diego brings a multidimensional lens to leadership. He’s equally at home working on macro-level policy and one-on-one with patients, always advocating for a more inclusive and accountable health system.
A Spark for Visibility and Voice
For Diego, the Spark Prize is more than a personal recognition, it’s a platform to elevate the work of small but mighty organizations like Casa. He hopes the award will help open doors with institutional partners and allow Casa’s voice to carry further in Missouri’s health care conversations.
“Casa may be small, but our outcomes are powerful. We need more tables where people like us are invited to speak – and more systems willing to listen,” he says.
He plans to use the Spark Prize to help Casa expand its partnerships and share its model with others, creating a ripple effect that could extend far beyond St. Louis.
A Vision for Missouri
Diego envisions a Missouri where newcomers and long-time residents alike don’t have to question whether they’ll be able to access care. A state where vibrant communities are supported by a health care system that sees them fully and serves them fairly.
“Health care is not a privilege for the few – it’s a foundation for all,” he says. “And if we can make Missouri a place where everyone is welcomed, cared for, and able to give back, we all benefit.”
His advice for fellow changemakers?
“Have stamina. The problems we’re solving are hard. But if you stay in the work, stay curious, and keep moving forward, your impact will multiply. Even the smallest step in the right direction matters.”
