Part of our mission as a non-profit, tax-exempt system involves providing a wide range of benefits to our community, more than $31 million in services and activities in 2007 alone. At the heart of our community benefit is a solid commitment to serving all persons, regardless of their ability to pay for healthcare services we provide. Our policy includes discounted charges for people who have no health insurance, do not qualify for public programs or who are under-insured, as well as ways to assist patients with managing their medical bills. (For information about these policies, please call one of our financial counselors at 580-5090 or 879-7576.)
Our Mission: To enhance life by excelling in care
Our Vision: To be the best community healthcare system in America
Our Values: Compassion. Respect. Integrity. Excellence. Service.
Our community benefit also involves caring for people enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare, programs whose payments do not cover the actual cost of the service we provide.
In 2007 Blue Ridge HealthCare’s community benefit totaled more than $31.2 million and included:
- Charity Care - $ 4.5 Million
- Bad Debt - $ 7.5 Million
- Medicare Losses - $10.6 Million
- Medicaid Losses - $ 8.2 Million
- Cash/In-Kind Donations /Non -billed Services, etc. - $320,000
- Total Benefit - 31.2 Million
- Direct Community Benefit and Bad Debt as % of Total Expenses - 18%
We touch thousands of lives in ways beyond traditional bedside care. Our community benefit extends to many other activities that bring little or no payment to us but which we provide because they are important to the overall health of our county and region. They includes:
Operating essential but money-losing healthcare services to meet critical healthcare needs in our community. Two examples are 24/7 emergency care at our two hospitals and Burke County’s first and only special care nursery for pre-mature and at-risk newborns at Grace Hospital.
Training healthcare workers. In 2007, Blue Ridge HealthCare provided learning opportunities and real-life training for nearly 500 students in 24 healthcare professions from 17 different colleges and universities.
Free health screenings. We provided more than 6,300 free screenings last year to help detect warning signs of various cancers, high blood pressure, diabetes, bone and joint problems and other health risks.
Funding school nurses. Children face their own unique health challenges, so in 2007 Blue Ridge HealthCare funded five nurses and a director for the Burke County Public Schools School Nurse Program, a community benefit of more than $200,000.
Conducting and sponsoring special health events. Blue Ridge HealthCare is a corporate sponsor of such annual events as the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, March of Dimes WalkAmerica, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Race for the Cure and special activities by other community-based health and human service non-profit organizations in Burke County. Our fourth annual Lady Fair event attracted a record 5,000 women for a day of free health screenings, health information and other activities.
Supporting economic development. As the community’s largest private employer with an annual economic impact of more than $200 million, Blue Ridge HealthCare is involved in many activities to help create a healthy local economy. One of the most exciting is a multi-year contribution to support the new Health Sciences Center being developed by Western Piedmont Community College, Western Carolina University, Burke County and other entities. The center will train and educate future nurses and other healthcare workers to meet ongoing needs in our area.
Supporting our mission through philanthropy. Often in partnership with other organizations, the Blue Ridge HealthCare Foundation works through donations, bequests, special gifts and grants to support our mission of enhancing life by excelling in care. In 2006, the Foundation generated more than $1.4 million earmarked to support special healthcare-related projects and needs within our system and in the community at large.
