Pressroom
2016 Community Benefit Annual Report Released
March 23, 2016
The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association is pleased to share its annual Community Benefit Report highlighting the substantial community contributions Virginia’s local hospitals and health systems make each day. Hospitals’ contributions include essential health services to support community well-being, free care provided to patients without insurance, and many other programs that support health care access and promote quality of life throughout the Commonwealth. That community benefit support includes financial assistance, Medicaid losses, subsidized health services provided, and community programs supported by Virginia hospitals. Community benefit totaled nearly $1.41 billion in 2014. With other forms of community support including Medicare losses, taxes paid, and bad debt expenses absorbed by Virginia hospitals, the total benefit to Virginia communities in 2014 was nearly $2.85 billion.
In addition to providing vital health care services and community support, Virginia’s local hospitals and health systems are economic cornerstones in their communities. They employ 115,000 people, generate $36 billion in economic activity, and support local businesses and vendors, according to 2013 data. Unfortunately, those benefits are imperiled by unfunded government mandates and other factors that threaten health care access and our economy. To protect all the benefits hospitals provide, it is important to find long-term solutions to the pressures confronting hospitals for the good of all Virginians.
We encourage you to review the Community Benefit Report to learn more about the immense value and good work provided by Virginia’s hospitals. Other online resources include examples of individual community benefit efforts at local Virginia hospitals across the Commonwealth (they can be found here), and an interactive online community benefit tool featuring historical trend data that can be accessed here.