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WELLSPAN HEALTH DELIVERED $187.9 MILLION
IN COMMUNITY BENEFIT IN FISCAL YEAR 2021
Free care, community programs, Medicaid shortfall and
prescriptions provided in region
YORK, Pa. (DECEMBER 21, 2021) – WellSpan Health delivered $187.9
million in community benefits to South Central Pennsylvania during the 2021
fiscal year. As reported in its Community Benefit Report available on Wellspan.org,
this investment was an intentional effort designed to benefit our communities
through charity care, Medicaid shortfall, free care, and community programs
and outreach.
“At WellSpan, we take our role as a non-profit healthcare system to heart by investing in communities, caring for vulnerable patient populations across the service area, and benchmarking our community investments nationally and regionally to ensure we are meeting our charitable mission,” said Roxanna Gapstur, Ph.D., R.N., president and CEO, WellSpan Health.
The health system’s community impact is also measured annually against its three-year Community Health Improvement Plan, which is based on an assessment of community health needs. Below are a few accomplishments based on plan priorities in fiscal 2021 (July 2020 to June 2021):
- Provided COVID-19 vaccines to nearly
3,000 individuals through in-home services and “pop-up” mobile clinics in the community.
- Removed financial barriers by helping 2,221
uninsured or underinsured patients access the care they needed.
- Filled 16,000 prescriptions,
valued at $430,000, through the Prescription for Caring program to
individuals who could not otherwise afford them.
- Delivered health and wellness programs
to more than 25,000 neighbors.
- Opened the new START clinic, a one-stop
shop for those with mental health and substance use disorders, which
has already served 745 patients.
- Reduced opioid abuse by engaging 667 patients
in medication assisted treatment with recovery support services
bringing our three-year total of patients served to 1,447.
- Identified more than 8,000 food
insecure and more than 5,500 housing insecure patients. Then,
through community agencies, 3,500 neighbors participated in
WellSpan nutrition & food support programs and 1,500 benefited
from WellSpan housing programs.
“Our goal is to reimagine healthcare, open doors to high-quality care, and ensure affordable serves are readily accessible. Through work with partner organizations, we are closing the gap in health disparities and inequities,” Gapstur said. “Our 2021 Community Benefit Report highlights this impact, and although the numbers are impressive, the real impact is realized through the stories of the individuals who are truly at the heart of our work.”
The full Community Benefit Report
is available on WellSpan.org.
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