Community Benefit -- $299.5 million
Defining Community Benefit
As a nonprofit health care organization, BJC is committed to the communities and
populations it serves through better health and better health care. In
fulfillment of this trust, we invest our resources and earnings in:
- Continuing to provide charity care and financial assistance to patients unable
to pay for necessary health services
- Providing a wide range of health literacy services, screenings and information
to underserved populations and helping to link those populations to appropriate
health care providers
- Partnering with employers, local governments, schools and other nonprofit
organizations to deliver health services, screenings and information in
non-traditional settings
- Providing necessary regional services such as emergency preparedness, trauma
and health care safety net services
- Educating the next generation of health care providers
- Developing and supporting innovative programs in health promotion, health
protection and disease prevention that lead to better health and better health
care
Institutional Commitment
In recognition of the need for greater clarity surrounding community benefit
work of nonprofit organizations, BJC established a committee of the Board of
Directors to ensure that BJC meets the community benefit standard and is at the
forefront of community benefit reporting. The committee ensures that BJC:
- Complies with all requirements of federal and state government bodies with
respect to community benefit reporting
- Meets our community benefit obligation as a tax-exempt, charitable
organization
- Targets resources appropriately to address community health needs
- Maximizes the impact of financial resources dedicated to community outreach
- Communicates BJC’s contributions to various audiences
- Adheres to accepted guidelines for data collection and reporting
Community Benefit Reporting Guidelines
One aspect of community benefit reporting designed to address legislative and
other concerns about hospitals’ tax-exempt status was established by the
Internal Revenue Service. A new requirement on nonprofit organizations’ annual
income reporting statement -- Schedule H on IRS Form 990 -- will be implemented
for 2008 filings. BJC has followed those guidelines for 2007 reporting, which
include:
In addition to what is reported under IRS rules, BJC absorbed the cost of
care for other patients who were unable to pay for the medical services they
received:
