Submitted by Providence
For more than 160 years, the Providence family of organizations has served as a vital safety net for those who are vulnerable. Our steadfast commitment to responding to community need is one of the many ways we live out our mission and work toward health for a better world.
Providence recently released its 2021 Annual Report to Our Communities. The report highlights how Providence partnered in the seven states where it operates to address the most difficult public health crisis of our time. In South Puget Sound, the Providence Swedish investment included $45.4 million in unpaid cost of Medicaid and other means-tested government programs and $9.2 million in free and discounted care for the uninsured and underinsured.
Removing barriers to care is just one of the outcomes of Providence Swedish commitment to the community.
“The importance of community support has never been clearer,” said Providence Swedish South Puget Sound Chief Executive Darin Goss. “The prolonged effects of the pandemic have impacted all facets of health in our communities from housing, food and financial insecurity to mental health. A response to pressing community needs, as well as upstream and long-lasting solutions, are necessary to help communities recover, build resilience and work toward a healthier future.”
Additional community investment included $7 million toward health professional education and research, $2.7 million in subsidized health services and $300,000 in community health improvement and strategic partnerships.
Partnering with local communities, Providence Swedish Community Health Workers have been established to help eliminate health disparities as the populations served usually include people who have barriers to care. View the entire Providence Swedish South Puget Sound Community Benefit Report Document here, including an example of patient financial assistance in action.
“Our community benefit programs are vital to our vision,” said Rod Hochman, M.D. president and CEO of Providence. “As we continue to serve under-resourced populations and advance health equity and social justice in our communities, Providence remains committed to our vision of creating health for a better world.”
About Providence Swedish South Puget Sound
Providence Swedish in South Puget Sound touches more lives in the 540,000 five-county service area of Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties than any other health care provider.
It is made up of:
- Providence St. Peter Hospital, a 372-bed facility founded in 1887
- Providence Centralia Hospital, a 128-bed facility founded in 1926
- Providence Medical Group in Southwest Washington, including more than 40 clinics with more than 1,000 primary, specialty care and hospital-based providers
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