Advocate Health Care Raises Awareness of Importance of Not for Profit Hospitals to Communities

Aug. 9, 2006, Oakbrook, Ill. —The hospital industry is under increased scrutiny by public officials, regulators, media, community leaders and others as to whether hospitals are giving enough to their communities in return for tax exempt status. However, many do not realize that hospitals provide far more than charity care for their communities.

Advocate Health Care’s tax-exempt designation, similar to other hospitals and systems, helps us to offer our extensive community benefits to fulfill our mission of caring. While serving approximately 3 million patients annually, Advocate is an integral part of the communities it serves. In fact, Advocate provided more than $286 million in community services and programs in 2005 throughout Chicago and six surrounding counties. These benefits include:

• free or discounted care for those who are unable to pay
• care to Medicare, Medicaid and other patients whose costs of care are not fully covered
• subsidized health care services and programs, such as specialized, neonatal care for high risk moms and babies, and free health screenings
• training of future health care professionals
• interpreter and translations services for patients and families
• volunteer services both in Advocate hospitals and out in the community
• donations to support community and religious organizations

To raise awareness about the importance of hospitals’ tax-exempt status, Advocate shares information about its operations particularly as it relates to its mission-driven services and programs, on its new community benefit webpage at www.advocatehealth.com/community.

This community benefits and other information was provided to Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) and the Senate Finance Committee who are reviewing whether not-for-profit hospitals and systems are deserving of their tax exempt designation. The information was shared to help these public officials better understand the important services Advocate provides to communities and the value of not for profit hospitals.

Advocate's community benefits webpages also include press releases, Community Benefit Journals, Annual Reports, and other helpful resources to educate and inform the public about the extensive benefits provided by Advocate in fulfilling its mission to serve its patients and its communities.

Oak Brook-based Advocate Health Care, the largest health care provider in Illinois, is ranked among the nation’s top health care systems. A faith-based, non-profit system, Advocate is related to both the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ. Advocate’s 200-plus sites of care in metropolitan Chicago include eight acute care hospitals and two children’s hospitals, a home health care company and four of Chicago’s largest medical groups. Through its academic and teaching affiliations, Advocate trains more resident physicians than does any non-university teaching hospital in Illinois. For more information about Advocate Health Care, please visit www.advocatehealth.com.