Kudos to Mulder for supporting hospitals

On behalf of the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council and our member hospitals, I would like to commend Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder for her support and commitment to the hospitals that serve her constituents. Mayor Mulder truly understands the importance of the impact of hospitals on the physical and fiscal health of their communities.

Mayor Mulder recently wrote a letter to Gov. Quinn urging him to consider all of a hospital's community benefits when considering their tax exemption. Hospitals in the metropolitan Chicago area provide vital services to our communities, including free medical care for those in need, subsidized health programs and education, not to mention the role they play as an economic engine for our region.

Metro hospitals provided more than $3.5 billion in charitable community benefits in 2009, including $1 billion in free care. Our local hospitals also supported more than 407,000 jobs, directly and indirectly; caring for both the physical and fiscal health of our region.

It is critical that our local and state governments consider all of the charitable community benefits provided by our hospitals when reviewing their tax exemptions. In denying hospitals' tax exemptions, our health care safety net will be further strained. Hospitals may be forced to reduce the services they provide or even eliminate jobs. Tax exemptions for our local hospitals provide taxpayers with a significant return on their investment.

Local hospitals provide our communities with world-class health care and sustain thousands of local jobs. We'd like to thank Mayor Mulder for her unwavering support of our local hospitals and to the well-being of the citizens in her community.

Kevin Scanlan

President/CEO, Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council