As many people embark on resolutions for the new year, Ohio hospitals continue their decades of service — providing charity care and other community benefits. A recent report, issued last month, calculated the amount at $2.6 billion.
But a broader look at recent news reports shows that hospitals are more than just places for the insured and uninsured to go when medical care is needed.
Hospitals are employers, entrepreneurs and good neighbors.
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As Ohio’s economy continues its steady but slow rebound, health care hiring has been a major reason for the recovery.
According to a recent Associated Press report, “The only area that maybe we feel is really robust right now is health care,” said Ben Johnson, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. “We’ve seen signs of a lot of health care hiring in recent months.”
Hospitals don’t just create jobs. Hospitals are a fundamental component of Ohio’s economic engine, helping to attract research dollars and nationally acclaimed scholars. The nation is noticing.
GQ Magazine recently honored one of Ohio’s nationally renowned medical researchers, Dr. Frank Douglas, as a Rock Star of Science. Douglas serves as founder and CEO of the Austen BioInnovation Institute, which works in collaboration with Akron Children’s Hospital, Akron General Health System, Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, Summa Health System, The University of Akron and The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
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At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
This one-of-a-kind program is helping the economy of Greater Akron, in addition to emerging as a global leader in developing and commercializing biomaterial solutions to address a range of health care needs.
Visit any region of Ohio and you will see that hospitals are part of the fabric of our communities and their missions vary, depending on the needs of the communities they serve.
In Madison County, for example, Madison County Hospital (MCH) launched a breast cancer initiative after discovering that its residents had a high incidence of breast cancer. Launched by the MCH Foundation, the initiative is increasing education and awareness, expanding screening, diagnostic and treatment options, and establishing a Breast Cancer Endowment Fund to provide health care services to women who are un- or under-insured.
At Canton’s Aultman Hospital, a Flu-Fighter Club enlisted Freddie “The Frog” LeFever to teach kids how to stay healthy during flu season.
And Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus provides care to the un- and under-insured through clinics in low-income neighborhoods with a 40-foot mobile coach. The Community Outreach Program offers much-needed physicals, exams, vaccinations and other health care services. From the mobile coach’s inception through fiscal year 2008, Mount Carmel Community Outreach served more than 170,000 patients at 37 different soup kitchens, shelters, schools and low-income neighborhoods. Serving ten sites with a total of 300 visits per month, the program provides acute and urgent care, with patients even receiving minor surgeries on the mobile coach.
More information about these initiatives can be found in the Community Benefit Report.
This year, while Ohioans will work to meet their personal resolutions, thousands of hospital employees will embody their hospital’s mission to care for millions of Ohio’s citizens and help Ohio.
James R. Castle
OHA President & CEO
Helping Ohio Hospitals is maintained on behalf of the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA). The OHA was established in 1915 and currently represents 166 hospitals and 18 health systems throughout Ohio. OHA is a membership-driven organization that provides proactive leadership to create an environment in which Ohio hospitals are successful in serving their communities. Visit OHA’s Web site. Follow OHA on Twitter. Become a Facebook fan of Helping Ohio Hospitals.
