Florida Hospital releases annual Community Benefit Report

Florida Hospital released its annual Community Benefit Report, which details the contributions the organization made in Central Florida through charity care, health research and its support of local charitable organizations.

In 2016, Florida Hospital provided $453 million in community benefit in Orange, Osceola , and Seminole counties.

When faith-based care, capital investments, and other benefits are also added, Florida Hospital’s total impact in Central Florida surpassed $760 million last year.

Other items detailed in the 2016 annual report:

· $165 million in charity care

· $41 million in cash and in-kind contributions

· $195 million in unpaid costs absorbed by the hospital from Medicaid reimbursement shortfalls

· 192,000 unique Medicaid and uninsured patients served

“Florida Hospital has been dedicated to extending the healing ministry of Christ beyond our hospital walls for over a century, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to serving the whole person — body, mind and spirit,” said Daryl Tol, president and CEO of Florida Hospital and the Central Florida Region – Adventist Health System. “We are honored to partner with our neighbors and support other organizations who share our commitment to making Central Florida one of the healthiest communities in the nation.”

Items in the Community Benefit Report also include projects funded by the Community Health Impact Council, also known as CHIC. CHIC’s primary goal is to address the needs of targeted populations, including the underserved and uninsured, while reducing preventable medical costs and increasing the overall health of the community. The CHIC board, comprised of local business and nonprofit executives, helps determines how and to whom Florida Hospital’s funding will be allocated in the community. (To learn more, visit floridahospitalcares.org.)

Several CHIC projects funded in 2016 target chronic disease management, including an obesity intervention and prevention program at Grace Medical Home.

“We are so grateful for the CHIC funding that supports our ‘Weigh To Go’ weight loss intervention. This funding is vital to help educate Grace patients about lifestyle changes that improve health,” said Stephanie Nelson Garris, executive director of Grace Medical Home, which provides health care to the uninsured. “The overwhelming majority of our patients who have completed this program have shown improved health through lab values or weight loss and are better equipped to make choices that lead them on a path to wellness.”

To view the full report, go here.