Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital provides charitable care, community services
DOWNERS GROVE - Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital played an integral role in Advocate Health Care's $686 million contribution in charitable care and community services in 2015.
The hospital, in addition to providing free and subsidized care, offered several programs and services that respond to the unique needs of Downers Grove and the surrounding community. One program in particular provided assistance to 296 patients in 2015 who are low-income, do not have medical insurance and seek treatment from the emergency department on a regular basis. Good Samaritan Hospital works in conjunction with the DuPage County Health Department's Engage DuPage program to provide health resource navigators to help these patients apply for medical insurance and obtain mental health, dental and social services.
"We are committed to providing excellent care for all patients, regardless of their payment status," said David S. Fox, president of Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital. "Engage DuPage allows us to connect self-pay patients with medical insurance and care coordination through a primary physician. By increasing access to primary care, we can cut down on the number of patients who seek out the emergency department for minor health issues. This ultimately improves the quality of care and increases efficiencies for our emergency department patients, physicians and nurses."
Advocate Health Care, Illinois' largest integrated health system, provided benefits to communities across the state, including charity care - free or discounted care for the uninsured and underinsured - and care without full imbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, as well as language assistance services, volunteer programs, and medical education and training. Advocate's contributions included not only hospital-based services, such as trauma care, but also community health focused activities. For example, Advocate funded school-based health centers that provide physicals to low-income, uninsured and underinsured children, immunization clinics focused on ceasing the spread of preventable illnesses, and health education and screenings to identify at-risk individuals and to prevent or promote self-management of disease.