Silver Cross Hospital's Community Benefit Exceeds $46 Million in 2014

By Tracy Simons | Silver Cross Hospital

Silver Cross Hospital’s Community Benefit totaled over $46 million in fiscal year 2014 (October 1, 2013-September 30, 2014). Included in the hospital’s Community Benefit was over $8 million in charity care (at cost) in which Silver Cross does not expect payment from patients. An additional $6 million in uncompensated services was provided through the government’s Medicaid program.

“Silver Cross’s dedication to care for the entire community, regardless of whether or not a person can afford to pay for it, is truly exemplary and proves that the organization sincerely cares about the overall health and well-being of the area residents it serves,” said Margie Woods, Chairperson of the Silver Cross Healthy Community Commission—a not-for-profit group of local leaders devoted to improving access to healthcare, workforce development and redevelopment of Silver Cross Hospital’s eastside Joliet campus.

[ A Sponsored Feature by Silver Cross Hospital ]

Silver Cross Hospital’s FY 2104 Community Benefit initiatives included:

• Pledge to Provide Free Care: In 2008, the Hospital pledged to provide at least $4 million a year for ten years in charity care to serve the poor and uninsured in Will County. In the past seven years, over $56 million in care was delivered to Will County patients. That number reflects the actual cost of health care provided. It does not include shortfalls in payments from the state’s Medicaid program for the poor or the Medicare program for seniors and disabled citizens. These programs only cover a fraction of Silver Cross Hospital’s cost for treating patients.
• Financial Assistance: Silver Cross provides financial assistance to patients who maintain a household income up to 300% above the Federal Poverty Level. In addition, the hospital provides a 50% discount off of charges to all uninsured patients. Applications for assistance are available by contacting the Patients Accounts Department at (815) 300-7087. English and Spanish speaking financial counselors are available.
• Subsidized Services and Screenings: In addition to charity care and government-sponsored indigent care, Silver Cross provided more than $9 million in other community benefit last year which included free and subsidized health services, programs and screenings to more than 54,000 people in Will County.
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Resource Hospital: Silver Cross is also helping to save lives serving as the resource hospital for the area’s EMS system. Silver Cross gave over $732,000 to provide paramedic training, continuing education, and monitoring of ambulance services in Will and Grundy counties.
• Scholarships and Grants: Through the Silver Cross Healthy Community Commission, the Hospital also awarded over $200,000 in healthcare-related scholarships, workforce development grants and quality of life initiatives. Over 50,000 individuals associated with local organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sororities, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Community Service Council, Familias Unidas Por La Educación, Forest Park Community Center, Harvey Brooks Foundation, Hispanic/Latino Coalition of Will and Grundy Counties, Joliet Black Chamber of Commerce, NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), National Hook-up For Black Women, Senior Services of Will County, Spanish Community Center and Warren Sharp Center were beneficiaries of Silver Cross’ investment in the community.

“We want to make sure everyone in our community has access to quality health care regardless of a patient’s income or insurance status,” said Paul Pawlak, President and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital. “As a not-for-profit health care provider, we take our mission seriously and are committed to providing quality care to all our patients and the community.”

To learn more about other ways Silver Cross is providing benefit to the Community, visit www.silvercross.org for a copy of the 2014 Community Benefit Report.

About Silver Cross Hospital

Silver Cross Hospital is a not-for-profit health care provider serving Will County and southwest suburban communities since 1895. Silver Cross has been recognized as a Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals National Award winner for seven consecutive years, a Hospital of Choice by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers and was honored with an “A” Hospital Safety ScoreSM by The Leapfrog Group. With nearly 4,000 employees, physicians and volunteers, Silver Cross operates a 296-bed acute care hospital and 5 satellite facilities providing outpatient services and physician offices. Silver Cross opened a state-of-the-art replacement hospital in 2012 at I-355 and Route 6 in New Lenox. In 2014, Silver Cross provided over $46 million in charity care and other community benefits. To learn more about Silver Cross Hospital or a referral to a physician on staff, visit www.silvercross.org or call 1-888-660-HEAL (4325). Physicians on Silver Cross Hospital’s Medical Staff have expertise in their areas of practice to meet the needs of patients seeking their care. These physicians are independent practitioners on the Medical Staff and are not the agents or employees of Silver Cross Hospital. They treat patients based upon their independent medical judgment and they bill patients separately for their services.