2011 Community Benefit Report
Where Your Health Matters
Because our mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve, we take this mission to heart in everything we do. We are dedicated to providing Columbus and the surrounding communities with wellness programs, health education and preventative medicine that enhance and enrich their lives.
With over 50 percent of all hospital stays in Nebraska paid for by Medicare and Medicaid, hospitals are highly vulnerable to changes in public policy and payment short-falls.
As well as providing exceptional health care 24/7 to over 51,000 people in our area, the Hospital offers valuable community services, programs to meet special needs, professional development, cash and in-kind donations.
As a not-for profit hospital, we have established financial aid policies to assist patients who cannot afford care. And although Medicare and Medicaid programs do not pay enough to cover the cost incurred by these patients, we provide the same quality of care to all patients.
The Hospital’s impact on the community can also be felt in other ways. As an employer of over 580 residents, our employees contribute to the economy of the community by purchasing homes, shopping with local merchants and paying taxes to support schools.
Even in light of healthcare reform and reimbursement challenges, there is a tremendous amount of good being done at Columbus Community Hospital every day. We are pleased to share with you our accomplishments and community contributions in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
Traditional Charity Care $445,083
Healthcare services provided free of charge or at a discounted fee schedule to persons who meet pre-determined financial criteria.
Community Health Education and Outreach $851,959
Includes activities carried out to improve community health and healthcare services that are subsidized because they meet an identified need in the community. Examples include:
• First Steps pre-natal program, baby care and breast feeding classes
• Meals on Wheels – over 11,000 people served by this program
• Tune up for Life Health Fair
• Local business workshops hosted by Occupational Health
• Diabetes education
• Healthy lifestyle programs through registered dietitians
• Volunteer services
• Healthcare support services
• Healthy Families Network – offering educational support and resources to over 340 families
• Free Interpreter Services
Unpaid Costs of Public Programs $15,058,539
Medicare and Medicaid shortfalls, which are deficits created when Columbus Community Hospital receives payments from the government that are less than the cost of care for public programs.
Subsidized Health Services $101,481
Programs that generate little or no income and most likely would not exist if not provided by Columbus Community Hospital and the hospital’s Wellness Program for the medically at risk.
Health Professional Medical Education $332,749
Scholarships and funding for health professionals’ education
Cash and In-Kind Donations $32,050
Quality of Life contribution to the Chamber of Commerce
Community sponsorships - Includes cash and in-kind donations to non-profit organizations for charitable purposes.
• American Heart Association
• American Cancer Society
• ALS Walk
• Alzheimer’s Memory Walk
• Center for Survivors
• Columbus Community Garden
• Columbus Youth programs
• Loup d’ Loup End Polio Now Bike Ride
• Multiple Sclerosis
• United Way
TOTAL AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY BENEFIT $16,821,861
Dollar figures alone don’t tell the story of Community Benefit. Every benefit dollar spent represents a human being whose life is better, whose suffering has been prevented or whose health has been restored by the physician’s and staff of Columbus Community Hospital.