IRVING, Texas, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Seventy percent of hospital representatives polled at a national gathering of health care professionals say their not-for-profit health care organizations expect to increase the activities or resources expended for their community benefit programs over the next three years; in 2002, only 65 percent of respondents expected to increase community benefits. However, they still agreed that the No. 1 challenge was limited financial resources.
The future of how communities will provide indigent care was discussed in Miami at the National Community Benefit Conference, co-sponsored by VHA Inc., The Catholic Health Association of the United States and the VHA Health Foundation. More than 155 community benefit planning professionals from health care organizations across the country discussed planning, budgeting, delivering and reporting community benefits.
“Although the majority (84 percent) of the attendees acknowledged that financial constraints are the greatest threat to the community benefits commitment of not-for-profit health care organizations, only one percent said their organizations’ community benefit programs will decrease in scope,” said Daniel Bourque, group senior vice president, VHA Inc. “This shows the incredible dedication and commitment to uphold the charity mission these organizations live by.”
“Community benefit is a planned, managed, organized and measured approach to a health care organization’s participation in meeting identified community health needs,” said Linda DeWolf, president, VHA Health Foundation. “It implies collaboration with a “community” to “benefit” its residents -- particularly the poor, minorities and other underserved groups -- by improving health status and quality of life.”
Other challenges in carrying out the hospital’s community benefit programs include linking community benefits with other organizational goals and a lack of sufficient human resources to deliver and manage community benefit programs.
Nearly 80 percent of the participants noted that improving access to free clinics and charity care would make the greatest impact in their community.
“The renewed focus on providing and documenting community benefits could not come at a better time,” said Bourque. “Local governments are facing economic pressures of their own and stepping up scrutiny of what communities receive from not-for-profit health care in exchange for tax-exemption.”
Note: A copy of the document “Community Benefit Reporting Guidelines & Standard Definitions for the Community Benefit Inventory for Social Accountability” is available on the VHA Health Foundation Web site at http://www.vhahealthfoundation.org/ .
About VHA
VHA Inc. is national health care cooperative that represents more than 2,200 leading community-owned health care organizations and their affiliated physicians. VHA comprises nearly 26 percent of the nation’s community hospitals, including many of the nation’s largest and most respected institutions. VHA offers programs and services to help its members improve financial and clinical performance, and as a cooperative distributes income annually to members based on their participation. In January 2004, VHA was named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” for the fifth consecutive year by Fortune.
VHA Health Foundation
The VHA Health Foundation, located in Irving, Texas, is a public foundation created by VHA Inc., a cooperative of more than 2,200 leading not- for-profit health care organizations, to encourage leadership and innovation in addressing health and health care issues. Efforts benefit VHA member health care organizations as well as non-members. The VHA Health Foundation funds programs that focus on new approaches to health and health care that make a difference, generate synergies that bring resources to add value and enhance outcomes, and diffuse knowledge and best practices.
The Catholic Health Association of the United States
The St. Louis-based Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) is the national leadership organization representing the Catholic health ministry. CHA’s more than 2,000 members form the nation’s largest group of not-for-profit health care sponsors, systems, facilities, health plans, and related organizations.
Contact: Lisa O’Steen losteen@vha.com 972/830-0275
Photo: Newscom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20011017/VHALOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comVHA Health Foundation
CONTACT: Lisa O’Steen of VHA Health Foundation, +1-972-830-0275, orlosteen@vha.com
