St. Luke’s recently filed community benefit reports for Ada, Twin Falls and Canyon counties for fiscal 2018.

The reports underscore St. Luke’s ongoing commitment to its not-for-profit mission to improve the health of people in the communities it serves. The reports show the real and tangible benefits to these communities.

As a not-for-profit health care organization, St. Luke’s demonstrates its commitment to community service through organized and sustainable community benefit programs, including:

• Free and discounted services for those unable to afford care.
• Care for low-income beneficiaries of Medicaid and other indigent care programs.
• Services designed to improve community health and increase access to health care.

Here are highlights from each of the three reports.

Ada County

St. Luke’s provided more than $43 million in unreimbursed services, including charity care and bad debt, at cost.

The cost of under-reimbursed services provided to patients covered by Medicare, Medicaid, County Indigency and other programs exceeded $215 million.

The total unreimbursed value of “community benefit” services and programs totaled more than $39 million.

Some examples of those services:

• More than $11.3 million was invested in the education of health professionals. A growing challenge for Idaho communities is the shortage of qualified nurses, pharmacists, technicians, physicians and other care professionals. St. Luke’s addressed this challenge by investing in various programs and projects, including scholarships for students, support for faculty positions at Idaho universities and investment in capital projects at Idaho universities that provide facilities for the education of future medical professionals.
• More than $14.3 million went toward subsidized health services. Examples of this include training and education programs for Air St. Luke’s, women’s and children’s community education and high school sports medicine services.
• More than $4.4 million was invested in community health improvement services. Examples include free community health screenings, FitOne and detoxification and crisis mental health services through Allumbaugh House.

Twin Falls County

The total amount of charity care and bad debt, at cost, exceeded $24.9 million.

The total cost of under-reimbursed services provided totaled more than $66.9 million.

The total unreimbursed value of “community benefit” services exceeded $10.6 million.

Some examples of services:

• More than $4 million went toward the education of health professionals.
• More than $5.2 million went to local health clinics and programs. The 2018 St. Luke’s Magic Valley Community Health Improvement Fund awarded funds to 36 different organizations. In addition, St. Luke’s Magic Valley serves a vital role in the preparation of resources and provision of services in the event of a disaster.
• More than $750,000 went to community health improvement services, including free community cancer screenings, health fairs, wellness education and support groups.

Canyon County

The total amount of charity care and bad debt, at cost, exceeded $6.4 million.

The total cost of under-reimbursed services provided totaled more than $31 million.

The total unreimbursed value of “community benefit” services exceeded $1.4 million.

Some examples of those services:

• Almost $600,000 went toward the education of health professionals.
• More than $280,000 went to subsidized health services, including free community cancer screenings and community health and prevention education, such as birth and parenting classes.
• St. Luke’s supported local not-for-profit organizations with more than $377,000 in direct cash and in-kind donations. Not-for-profit organizations included Terry Reilly Health Services, Advocates Against Family Violence and the Boys & Girls Club of Nampa, among many others. 

Capital Additions

Systemwide, more than $157 million went to expenditures for land, facilities, equipment and other capital supporting St. Luke’s mission.

Some examples of capital investments to improve access and services to meet community need include:

• More than $39.8 million was invested for architectural, planning and construction costs to improve and expand St. Luke’s Magic Valley Hospital and clinics in Twin Falls and surrounding areas.
• More than $37 million was invested for architectural, planning and project costs related to the expansion of the downtown Boise campus.
• More than $20 million was invested to upgrade key information technology infrastructure.

In all, St. Luke’s provided more than $597.1 million to unreimbursed services, charity care, capital investments, community benefits and programs to communities in Ada, Canyon and Twin Falls counties.