Advocate Health Care increases community benefits to $661 million
Downers Grove, Ill. — Advocate Health Care, Illinois’ largest integrated health care system, announced today that it provided $661 million in charitable care and community services in 2013, an increase of $47 million from the previous year.
“We continually challenge ourselves to extend our healing ministry to diverse neighborhoods across Chicagoland and Central Illinois,” said Jim Skogsbergh, president and CEO of Advocate Health Care. “Our contribution illustrates Advocate’s healing mission and dedication to meeting the needs of those we are so privileged to serve.”
Overall, the system provided just over $527 million in charity care and other uncompensated costs, including free and discounted care for the uninsured and underinsured as well as care without full imbursement from Medicare and Medicaid. An additional $34 million was spent on subsidized health services resulting in a $93 million increase from 2012.
As part of Advocate’s commitment to offering programs and services that respond to the communities’ unique needs, the system continued to make significant investments in language assistance programs in 2013, with contributions totaling $4 million. These programs offer patients access to interpreters and other non-English patient education materials. Other programs include health and wellness screenings, behavioral health and school-based health care.
Contributions to other not-for-profit community organizations, in-kind donations of equipment, supplies and clinic space, and the value of Advocate associates’ volunteering in the community and the time that volunteers from the community devote to Advocate totaled nearly $13 million. Advocate also increased its provision of medical education and training to $82 million in 2013. As part of its annual Community Benefits Report, a detailed breakdown of Advocate’s contributions was recently filed with the state.
Vincent Pierri
Manager, Public Affairs
Advocate Health Care
3075 Highland Parkway
Downers Grove, Illinois 60515
O: 630.929.6631
C: 847.997.6294
Vincent.Pierri@advocatehealth.com
About Advocate Health Care
Advocate Health Care, named among the nation’s Top 5 large health systems based on quality by Truven Analytics, is the largest health system in Illinois and one of the largest health care providers in the Midwest. Advocate operates more than 250 sites of care, including 12 hospitals that encompass 11 acute care hospitals, the state’s largest integrated children’s network, five Level I trauma centers (the state’s highest designation in trauma care), three Level II trauma centers, one of the area’s largest home health care companies and one of the region’s largest medical groups. Advocate Health Care trains more primary care physicians and residents at its four teaching hospitals than any other health system in the state. As a not-for-profit, mission-based health system affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ, Advocate contributed $661 million in charitable care and services to communities across Chicagoland and Central Illinois in 2013.
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