HomeNewsOCAHS provides $1.2 million in community benefits

OCAHS provides $1.2 million in community benefits

ORANGE CITY AREA HEALTH SYSTEM PROVIDES COMMUNITY BENEFITS

$1.2 million in uncompensated care and healthcare services given annually

Orange City Area Health System (OCAHS) provides nearly $1.2 million in community benefits to the region, according to a recently completed assessment of those programs and services. That amount, based on 2014 figures, includes over $700,000 in uncompensated care and nearly $500,000 in free or discounted community benefits that OCAHS specifically implements to help residents.

Community benefits are activities designed to improve health status and increase access to health care. Along with uncompensated care (which includes both charity care and bad debt), community benefits include such services and programs as health screenings, support groups, counseling, immunizations, nutritional services, and transportation programs.

The results for OCAHS are included in a statewide report by the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) that shows Iowa hospitals provided community benefits in 2014 valued at nearly $1.2 billion. All 118 of Iowa’s community hospitals participated in the survey.

“We have a long-standing belief in, and continued commitment to, the ‘rising tide floats all boats’ philosophy,” stated Marty Guthmiller, CEO of Orange City Area Health System. “Our Board and our organization take very seriously our responsibilities in our region to serve and dedicate resources to the benefit of all.”

The programs and services accounted for in the survey were implemented in direct response to the needs of individual communities as well as entire counties and regions. Many of these programs and services simply would not exist without hospital support and leadership, said IHA President and CEO Kirk Norris.