/ en Fri, 25 Apr 2025 13:37:21 -0500 Mon, 24 Mar 25 09:19:29 -0500 /role-hospitals-st-lukes-regional-medical-center-idahos-first-hospital-home-program-showing-promising-results <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-6"><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/TTHS-St-Lukes-Regional-Medical-Center-Hospital-at-Home.jpg" data-entity-uuid="870e9f8a-ba45-4d6b-b28f-0d2f38f63a58" data-entity-type="file" alt="Idaho’s First Hospital-at-Home Program Showing Promising Results. A paramedic listens to a women's heartbeat using a stethoscope as part of hospital-at-home care in Idaho." width="700" height="532"></div><p>The St. Luke’s Hospital at Home program, launched in late 2024, provides hospital-level care to patients in the comfort of their homes. This initiative is especially timely given Idaho's rapid population growth, which has increased the demand for health care services. The program allows patients with conditions such as heart failure, infections requiring IV antibiotics, pneumonia or asthma to receive necessary treatments at home, reducing the strain on emergency departments.</p><p>Patients in the program are equipped with medical devices like scales, tablets, blood pressure monitors and IV pumps. Paramedics visit patients twice daily and are connected to doctors and nurses through a tablet, ensuring continuous care. This setup not only provides medical support but also allows health care providers to understand the patient's living environment and involve social work if needed, enhancing overall care</p><p>The program is supported by Medically Home and offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional hospital stays. St. Luke’s is the first hospital in Idaho to start the program, which has been around since the 1960s. “We have a type of care that is very comparable to the outcomes of a brick-and-mortar hospital,” said the program’s Medical Director Adam Balinger.</p><p>It also provides a healing environment where patients can be with their families and pets, which can aid in recovery. With Medicare authorizing billing for hospital care at home since 2021, programs like St. Luke’s Hospital at Home are becoming more viable and beneficial, especially during times when hospitals are overwhelmed, such as during the pandemic.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/hospital-care-at-home-st-lukes-launches-hospital-at-home-program/article_e740f5ca-ea40-11ef-94d8-bbde4c8e5aba.html" target="_blank">LEARN MORE</a></p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/promoting-healthy-communities">Supporting Public Health</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Mon, 24 Mar 2025 09:19:29 -0500 Community Partnerships /role-hospitals-ucf-healthcare-partners-equip-libraries-blood-pressure-monitors-aeds <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-5"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-03/ths-ufc-healthcare-library-blood-pressure-kits-700x532.jpg" alt="UCF Healthcare. A person's arm, wrapped in a blood pressure cuff, is outstretched on a table" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>Libraries are so much more than a place to get books. Now, thanks to the Libraries with Heart program, libraries in Central Florida are places where community members can keep an eye on one aspect of their health. A partnership between HCA Florida Healthcare, the American Heart Association and the Orange County Library system lets patrons 18 and up check out blood pressure monitoring kits. In 2024, the kits were checked out 459 times.</p><p>"We meet people where they are, and so we try to bring our community work to life in settings like the library,”<a href="https://www.orangeobserver.com/news/2025/jan/30/aeds-blood-pressure-cuffs-available-at-local-libraries/" target="_blank"> said  Jimmy Clarity</a>, vice president of community impact for the American Heart Association. “It’s a place where people gather and spend a lot of their time and can access resources. It’s not just about checking out library books anymore.”</p><p>Each branch of the library has at least two staff members who have been trained to teach patrons how to use the kits; the system also has outreach teams that go into the community to get the kits into the hands of those who might not be able to go to the library, or who are unaware that the program exists.</p><p>Libraries with Heart has also provided automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to every library in the system; a donation from UCF Lake Nona Hospital covered those, as well as the cost of training library staffers in CPR and AED use.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://newsroom.heart.org/local-news/libraries-with-heart-program-grows-to-include-more-libraries-and-more-services#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20the%20American%20Heart,two%20Osceola%20County%20Library%20branches." target="_blank">LEARN MORE</a></p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/center/population-health">Improving Health and Wellness</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Thu, 06 Mar 2025 15:33:29 -0600 Community Partnerships /news/chairpersons-file/2025-02-11-chair-file-building-trust-todays-environment <p>Edelman recently released its <a href="https://www.edelman.com/trust/2025/trust-barometer" target="_blank" title="2025 Trust Barometer">2025 Trust Barometer</a> titled “Trust and the Crisis of Grievance,” and it couldn’t be more timely. Trust — in one another, our hospitals and health systems, our communities and our government — feels more important than ever.</p><p>The AHA knows how important public trust and confidence are to advancing the health of all individuals and communities. In fact, we included it as one of the principles in our 2025-2027 Strategic Plan, which was built on listening to feedback from our members. The plan is designed to tackle trust and other key issues so hospitals and health systems can continue to be places where our communities can go for healing, no matter what.</p><p>The Edelman report explored how fear has turned into polarization and, in turn, into grievance. Many people feel a sense of grievance, not just with health care but with the government, media and other fields. However, rebuilding trust isn’t impossible. It starts by listening and taking action.</p><p>The foundation of listening is seeking to understand. Our communities and patients want to feel seen and heard. Our teams want to feel valued and supported in the extraordinary care they provide.</p><p>However, listening on its own isn’t enough. We need to take that feedback on what’s working and what isn’t and create better experiences for those providing and receiving care. We can also help proactively build trust by sharing stories of our incredible work and the people we serve with the AHA team and with legislators.</p><p>We need our local and national leaders to understand how critical our work is to our communities. Equipping the AHA with stories empowers them to better advocate for our hospitals and health systems so we can serve our neighbors who are our stakeholders.</p><p>Every one of our hospitals and health systems is here for their community despite the challenges they face, making sure that everyone has access to the care they need. And we’re not going anywhere.</p><p>Now is the time to listen. Now is the time to act. And now is the time to rebuild trust in one another. Our neighbors are counting on us.</p><p><strong>Helping You Help Communities: Key AHA Resources</strong></p><ul><li><a href="/ahas-2025-2027-strategic-plan" target="_blank" title="AHA's 2025-2027 Strategic Plan">AHA’s 2025-2027 Strategic Plan</a></li><li><a href="/tellingthehospitalstory" target="_blank" title="Telling the Hospital Story">Telling the Hospital Story</a> </li></ul> Tue, 11 Feb 2025 08:37:07 -0600 Community Partnerships /news/headline/2025-01-23-coalition-extends-deadline-apply-grants-supporting-community-health-workers <p>The Common Health Coalition today <a href="https://commonhealthcoalition.org/challenge/#nominate" title="grant deadline">announced</a> it has extended the deadline to Feb. 3 to apply for the Common Health Challenge Catalyst Award program grant. Each of 10 recipients will be awarded a $30,000 grant for efforts integrating community health workers to strengthen partnerships between health care and public health organizations across communities. The AHA is a founding member of the Coalition.</p> Thu, 23 Jan 2025 15:07:08 -0600 Community Partnerships /role-hospitals-henry-ford-health-health-care-systems-schools-work-together-support-maternal-and-infant-health <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-5"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2024-12/ths-sos-maternity-wayne-ford-700x532.jpg" alt="Wayne State and Henry Ford. SOS Maternity in Michigan logo" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>The SOS MATERNITY Network, led by Wayne State University’s Office of Women’s Health, has been launched to address high maternal and infant mortality rates in Michigan. Fourteen leading maternal-fetal medicine universities and health care systems, including Henry Ford Health, are collaborating in the effort.</p><p>The state has allocated $11 million to fund this initiative to reduce preventable causes of death in mothers and children by ensuring access to the best possible care for every pregnant mother in Michigan. The network will host community events to educate expectant mothers on promoting healthier pregnancies and will provide free transportation to prenatal appointments through a partnership with Lyft.</p><p>The network’s roots trace back to the Southern Michigan Regional COVID-19 Collaborative, which collected data on maternal-fetal health outcomes during the pandemic. They found higher rates of preterm birth, preeclampsia and health disparities among pregnant women with COVID-19. The SOS MATERNITY Network now seeks to standardize best practices across Michigan, increase access to prenatal care and create support systems for pregnant mothers. The participating institutions, including Henry Ford Health, are responsible for over 50,000 deliveries per year in Michigan.</p><p><a href="https://today.wayne.edu/medicine/news/2024/10/23/health-care-collaborative-launches-network-to-promote-healthier-pregnancies-in-michigan-64742">Learn more about the initiative</a>.</p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/center/population-health">Improving Health and Wellness</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:46:12 -0600 Community Partnerships /news/headline/2024-10-14-aha-podcast-haircuts-and-health-checks-barbershop-partners-indiana-university-health <p>In this conversation, Marvin Taylor, owner of All in the Wrists, and Brownsyne Tucker Edmonds, M.D., vice president and chief health equity officer at Indiana University Health, discuss the importance of barbershops in the African American community, and how community health workers inside these barbershops are providing valuable health care and public education. To see the video on IU Health and All in the Wrists partnership, please click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYGawZ34n9s">here</a>. <a href="/advancing-health-podcast/2024-10-14-haircuts-and-health-checks-barbershop-partners-indiana-university-health">LISTEN NOW</a><br> </p><div></div> Mon, 14 Oct 2024 15:27:38 -0500 Community Partnerships /news/headline/2024-10-11-aha-podcast-intersection-health-care-and-community <p>Andres Nieto, director of community health outreach and marketing with NewYork-Presbyterian, and Jamie Ketas, vice president of population health with Englewood Health, discuss co-designing efforts with their communities to improve quality of life, work that was recognized as finalists for one of the AHA’s most prestigious prizes. <a href="/advancing-health-podcast/2024-10-11-intersection-health-care-and-community-2024-foster-g-mcgaw-prize-finalists">Listen now.</a></p><hr><div></div><div class="raw-html-embed"> <details class="transcript"> <summary> <h2 title="Click here to open/close the transcript."> <span>View Transcript</span><br>   </h2> </summary> <p> 00:00:00:03 - 00:00:23:18<br> Tom Haederle<br> The connection between a hospital and the community it serves is special. Working together, hospitals and communities can enhance the environment where people live, work and play. In 1986, the ���������� Association created the Foster G. McGaw Prize to recognize hospitals and health systems that stand out through their efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in their communities. </p> <p> 00:00:23:21 - 00:00:45:22<br> Tom Haederle<br> The prize is generously sponsored by the Baxter International Foundation. Join us today to hear from the two prize finalists for 2024, who are notching up the bar for excellence in community support. </p> <p> 00:00:45:25 - 00:01:18:25<br> Tom Haederle<br> Welcome to Advancing Health, a podcast from the ���������� Association. I'm Tom Haederle with AHA communications. At the AHA Leadership Summit in July, we recognized one winner and two finalists as recipients of the Foster G. McGaw Prize. The overall winner was Boston Medical Center. In this podcast hosted by Nancy Meyers, vice president for Leadership and System Innovation with AHA’s Center for Health Innovation, we learn more about the innovative programs from the two prize finalists that have made such a positive difference in the lives of the people they serve. </p> <p> 00:01:18:27 - 00:01:30:25<br> Tom Haederle<br> Andy Nieto is director of community health outreach and marketing with NewYork-Presbyterian, and Jamie Ketas is vice president for population health with Englewood Health in New Jersey. And now, here's Nancy. </p> <p> 00:01:30:27 - 00:01:57:25<br> Nancy Meyers<br> Jamie and Andy, thanks for joining me today. Love to have this conversation from our two Foster McGaw finalists. Jamie, I'd like to start with you. Englewood Health has taken an integrated approach to your population health strategy for several years now, where you've really looked at how you're caring for patients and redesigning care, and how you're working in community to drive health outcomes in general as part of an integrated structure and strategy. </p> <p> 00:01:57:26 - 00:02:01:29<br> Nancy Meyers<br> Can you talk about that a little bit, and how have you gotten to this point? </p> <p> 00:02:02:06 - 00:02:21:02<br> Jamie Ketas<br> Sure. I think when we were forming our population health department, we sort of had to organize our own thoughts about what populations we were trying to keep healthy. And we really focus on three. One is our patients, right? Our attributed lives and all of our various value-based programs. The communities we serve is the second, and then the third is really the Englewood Health team members. </p> <p> 00:02:21:04 - 00:02:42:15<br> Jamie Ketas<br> And when you think about all three of those groups, they all intersect and overlap, right? We have employees who live in the area, right, who are our patients. And so the philosophy has been the same. We take the same approach as we look at what we're trying to do. And understanding, as we all do now, the impact cultural differences as well as societal drivers of health have on outcomes. </p> <p> 00:02:42:18 - 00:03:09:13<br> Jamie Ketas<br> We design targeted interventions. So we partner with the community organizations and social service agencies to co-develop programs that leverage the strengths of both sides. So we provide the health care expertise. We bring that to the table, and they provide access to the populations we're trying to reach, as well as the local resources, right. So we don't have our own food pharmacy, FARM at Englewood, but we certainly have great relationships with all the food pantries in the area. </p> <p> 00:03:09:16 - 00:03:25:18<br> Nancy Meyers<br> And how have you, as you've brought the strategy together, how are you changing the way or evolving the way that you're gaining input from your patients, from your community, from your team members to help you form that strategy? </p> <p> 00:03:25:19 - 00:03:42:23<br> Jamie Ketas<br> Right. So there's universal truths to everything, but at the same time you need the data. And so I think where we've struggled in the past, really the community health needs assessment, we do that every three years. And it's difficult because you don't have the same data set over time. So what we really are trying to do is be data driven in our approach using the clinical data that we have. </p> <p> 00:03:42:24 - 00:03:58:26<br> Jamie Ketas<br> So we've been adding additional screenings, substance use disorder screenings, SDOH screenings. So all of the information, let the patients self-report and tell us. Right. And the same thing is going to apply to the community and to our team members. No one is exempt from these issues. </p> <p> 00:03:58:28 - 00:04:24:17<br> Nancy Meyers<br> Great. Andy, turning to you, I'd love to hear about how NewYork-Presbyterian is thinking about really bringing in community assessment and community strategies as a foundation to the organization's overall strategic plan. How is that evolving and how are you integrating your view of community as you think about all of the work that you do to deliver care? </p> <p> 00:04:24:19 - 00:04:52:29<br> Andy Nieto<br> Yeah, it's interesting because the community work that NewYork-Presbyterian started over 25 years ago with a lot of work that was done in collaboration with our community partners to develop that relationship, that trust between the two of us. And over time, the hospital became much more involved in some of the work that we're doing through the community health needs assessment is done every three years, but also through a Center for Health Justice that was created about four years ago. </p> <p> 00:04:53:02 - 00:05:20:03<br> Andy Nieto<br> That really drives a lot of the work that's happening at NYP throughout our network. The Dalio Center for Health Justice is now a central hub where a lot of the thinking regarding what we should be doing to address health disparities is really happening. And together with the Center for Health, for Community Navigation and some of the other organizations that are part of the are the hospital network, </p> <p> 00:05:20:10 - 00:05:39:21<br> Andy Nieto<br> together we're thinking about how we structure some of the work and more collaboratively within the organization. And so I think we've come a long way in the last 25 years. And, you know, the creation of the Dalio Center I think was a strong message that for NYP, health justice is something that is extremely important. </p> <p> 00:05:39:23 - 00:05:43:09<br> Nancy Meyers<br> And what was the impetus for the creation of that center? </p> <p> 00:05:43:12 - 00:06:05:03<br> Andy Nieto<br> I think that we wanted to have a central organization that would kind of think through these issues, so that would bring all the different partners together. The Division of Community Population Health, which is the division that I oversee that does most of the programing out in the community, together with Department of Community and Government Affairs and the Dalio Center for Health Justice - </p> <p> 00:06:05:05 - 00:06:24:09<br> Andy Nieto<br> together, we are thinking about what are some of the needs in the community? What are some of the needs within the organization? I'll give you an example. Social determinants of health is something that is extremely important in addressing some of the disparities that are happening. So in the hospital now, we question all our patients for social determinants of health. </p> <p> 00:06:24:09 - 00:06:51:01<br> Andy Nieto<br> We screen them for social determinants of health. And that drives a lot of the work that we do as we identify some of the needs. Before the pandemic happened, we were already surveying our patients for social determinants. We identify food insecurity as a huge issue. 30% of our patients were food insecure. And so we began to create programs that address food insecurity. </p> <p> 00:06:51:03 - 00:07:10:21<br> Andy Nieto<br> And so by screening patients for the social determinants of health in the emergency room, in the clinics, it gives you a great idea of what's happening to your own patients together with the evaluation we do outside of the hospital. But for our patients, that's a good way to really understand what's happening with them. </p> <p> 00:07:10:24 - 00:07:34:09<br> Nancy Meyers<br> I'd like to ask you to reflect, as well, on how your interactions with the community organizations and the community members that you serve has evolved over the last few years, and maybe even especially over the course of the last few, with the pandemic to be more of co-design of programs and strategy. How does that happen for you that others could follow? </p> <p> 00:07:34:15 - 00:08:02:07<br> Andy Nieto<br> Co-design is interesting, right? Because that's our model. We do co-design with all our programs, but co-design requires that you have trust in the community. Trust is not gained in three months. Trust is gained over years of really developing programs. And really, when you say co-design, it's not coming to the organization and telling them what you think the problems are, but asking them what they think some of the issues are. </p> <p> 00:08:02:10 - 00:08:40:05<br> Andy Nieto<br> And I think hospitals sometimes feel like they can begin a program in the community because they've identified a certain issue and they want to go into the community, build something, and it's important for you to first go out and listen to the community and hear what they have to say. One community organizer told me once, when I introduce one of our researchers to the community organizations and he wanted to do NIH grant and the community leader told them, we don't want to be subjects, we want to be co-leaders in these grants. </p> <p> 00:08:40:07 - 00:08:52:09<br> Andy Nieto<br> So it's important for us to really understand that the community is not there just for us to introduce what we think is important for them, but co-design with them, whatever the issues are. </p> <p> 00:08:52:12 - 00:09:19:07<br> Nancy Meyers<br> And that involves the hospital or health system trusting the community, right, as well as gaining the trust of the community. So, Jamie, this is an area where Englewood has also really excelled, I think, in, in co-developing programs for some of the unique populations that you're serving people might be surprised by. You want to talk about one or two of the examples of how you, over the years, co-developed programs. </p> <p> 00:09:19:07 - 00:09:37:00<br> Jamie Ketas<br> Sure. I think one of the longest standing examples we have was about 30 years ago. The Jehovah's Witness population approached us at Englewood and really was in, had a huge barrier to care, and a lot of clinicians were unwilling or afraid of the liability of taking care of patients for whom blood is not an option. And this was something. </p> <p> 00:09:37:00 - 00:10:04:24<br> Jamie Ketas<br> It was new. And our approach has always been we don't duplicate, right. So we looked around and indeed it was an area that needed to be filled. And so we partnered with them and over the years really have built a trust that now we can use that trust to not just deliver the great, excellent care that's evolved over those 30 years where almost nobody gets transfusions in certain areas now, through the patient blood management principles that were born at Englewood, just by nature of our experience. </p> <p> 00:10:05:01 - 00:10:24:25<br> Jamie Ketas<br> But it's also a vehicle by which we can give information to this population, because now they trust us. And so as we all in our population health mission are trying to push to prevention and screening and prevent the need for a bloodless surgery, we can use the trust we've built with that community. Another example is the Korean Health and Wellness Center, where this was a population - </p> <p> 00:10:24:26 - 00:10:42:10<br> Jamie Ketas<br> Northern new Jersey has a very large and growing Korean-speaking population. And that was another barrier to care, right? They could not navigate literally, logistically, and also to get the information to them on what they should be getting and how to get it was a real barrier for these patients getting the care they needed. So we're doing the same thing. </p> <p> 00:10:42:10 - 00:10:52:06<br> Jamie Ketas<br> We sort of are following the example of the Jehovah's Witness population and the bloodless patients to move towards continuing to use vehicles to get not just care, but information to the populations that need it. </p> <p> 00:10:52:08 - 00:11:14:10<br> Nancy Meyers<br> Last question I have, I think, for both of you, is in order to do this great work that each of you are leading as a subject matter experts in your organizations, you have to have empowerment within your organization from your senior leadership, and they have to give power to you and to the community through you in order to get these programs done. </p> <p> 00:11:14:11 - 00:11:34:08<br> Nancy Meyers<br> I'm wondering, based on your years of experience, what do you think are one or two qualities that you've seen develop in your organization in terms of your support from senior leadership, that you would suggest that other organizations focus on or consider? How have they empowered you? </p> <p> 00:11:34:11 - 00:11:49:10<br> Jamie Ketas<br> So I would say at Englewood, you know, we are relatively small. We're an independent system still. And I think that there's trust, right? I think trust is really at the heart of everything. So there has to be trust at the team that the resources we put towards this are going to be used in a strategic way. </p> <p> 00:11:49:10 - 00:12:07:17<br> Jamie Ketas<br> Right? We're not going to go and develop a program or try to implement something that's not going to be well received by the community that we're trying to reach. We're not duplicating efforts, right. We're trying to supplement. And I think the trust that we're going to do the work in advance to make sure that whatever, wherever we put our resources right, they're not unlimited. </p> <p> 00:12:07:24 - 00:12:27:06<br> Jamie Ketas<br> So how do you do this in a way to drive outcomes? And our CEO is very fond of saying the good business and it's good business, right? And so for us to continue to flourish and to be a trusted health care partner for all the communities we serve, we have to be flexible, nimble, right? During the pandemic, we'd gone on weekly phone calls with all the community service agencies. </p> <p> 00:12:27:06 - 00:12:35:18<br> Jamie Ketas<br> What do you guys need? How can we help? Where are you guys coming from? What do you have to share? How do we do all this together and just being willing to collaborate at every level. </p> <p> 00:12:35:21 - 00:12:40:07<br> Nancy Meyers<br> Andy, how about at New York Presbyterian? How has the leadership been supportive of this work? </p> <p> 00:12:40:07 - 00:13:05:11<br> Andy Nieto<br> So obviously, we're a huge organization in New York City, but we have a CEO that is committed to this work, who knows about our work, who speaks about our work and who gives us the resources we need for us to be able to do this work. Our CEO can get up and talk about our Lang Medical Youth program, which is a program that brings sixth graders into the hospital, who spend six years with us. </p> <p> 00:13:05:13 - 00:13:39:01<br> Andy Nieto<br> We help them get into good high schools, good colleges, and many of them come back as employees of the hospital. Many are nurses and physicians, and these are kids from the inner cities who probably would not have had. And Dr. Corwin, who's our CEO, will speak about the program like he knows the program really well. More recently, we had an interview with two of our Lang graduates. One is an MP working in one of our pediatric floors, and the other one is a program manager who runs one of our programs. </p> <p> 00:13:39:03 - 00:13:50:03<br> Andy Nieto<br> And Dr. Corwin speaks to them and talks to them and can talk about these programs, you know, in a way that a CEO who's running a multibillion dollar organization is just amazing to hear. </p> <p> 00:13:50:05 - 00:14:11:24<br> Nancy Meyers<br> That's great. Well, on behalf of AHA, I want to thank both of you for the work that you're leading within your organizations and thank your organizations, Englewood Health and New York Presbyterian, for being leaders and being shining examples for others when it comes to investing in and developing your communities. So thank you, thank you, thank you. </p> <p> 00:14:11:27 - 00:14:20:07<br> Tom Haederle<br> Thanks for listening to Advancing Health. Please subscribe and rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. </p> </details> </div> Fri, 11 Oct 2024 13:36:42 -0500 Community Partnerships /aha-clear Fri, 04 Oct 2024 16:30:00 -0500 Community Partnerships /center/hcc Wed, 02 Oct 2024 01:00:00 -0500 Community Partnerships /news/perspective/2024-09-27-hospitals-are-community-cornerstones-and-advance-health-many-ways <p>All of America’s hospitals and health systems are cornerstones of their communities. They not only deliver around-the-clock care and essential services to patients, but they also provide a broad range of critical health, social and other programs that advance the health and well-being of individuals and communities.</p><p>Nonprofit hospitals have special obligations to their communities in exchange for being tax-exempt. These hospitals report the amounts they spend on community benefits yearly and conduct a community health needs assessment in conjunction with their community at least every three years.</p><p>According to a <a href="/2024-09-23-estimates-value-federal-tax-exemption-and-community-benefits-provided-nonprofit-hospitals-2020" target="_blank" title="a new analysis">new analysis</a> for the AHA by the international accounting firm EY (also known as Ernst and Young), nonprofit hospitals and health systems are meeting — and exceeding — the requirements and expectations that are attached to the privilege of tax exemption. </p><p>The EY study shows that tax-exempt hospitals and health systems delivered $10 in benefits to their communities for every dollar’s worth of federal tax exemption in 2020, the most recent year for which comprehensive data is available. This represents an increase from $9 in benefits the prior year despite serving on the front lines of a once-in-a-century pandemic.</p><p>Breaking it down, in 2020, the estimated federal tax revenue forgone due to the tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals was $13.2 billion. However, the <em>benefit</em> that tax-exempt hospitals provided to their communities, as reported on the Form 990 Schedule H, was estimated to be $129 billion, almost 10 times greater than the value of tax revenue forgone. That’s a tremendous return on investment by any standard.</p><p>Those benefits take many forms that improve the lives and health of individuals, families and communities.</p><p>For example, $57 billion was for financial assistance for patients in need, including charity care, unreimbursed Medicaid, and other unreimbursed costs from means-tested government programs.</p><p>Other benefits include a range of programs and services designed to meet the health needs of their communities. These  include help with housing, accessing healthy food, providing educational programs and health screenings, transportation to needed medical appointments, vaccination clinics and other programs to address the needs that affect their community’s health and well-being.</p><p>In addition, hospitals and health systems support emergency preparedness for all types of disasters, provide education and training for the next generation of caregivers, and invest in cutting-edge technology and medical equipment to ensure access to high-quality care.</p><p>As part of <a href="/tellingthehospitalstory" target="_blank" title="Telling the Hospital Story Webpage">AHA’s Telling the Hospital Story</a> efforts, we continue to highlight the incredible work being done by all hospitals and health systems across the country. You can see examples of inspirational stories, innovative programs and community partnerships that are making a real difference in people’s lives.</p><p>Advancing health for patients and communities will always be at the heart of the mission of hospitals and health systems. They demonstrate it every day in many ways.</p> Fri, 27 Sep 2024 08:21:38 -0500 Community Partnerships