What are community benefits?

Community benefits are programs and services that address identified community health-related needs, regardless of the source or availability of payment, and provide measurable improvement in health access, health status, and the use of health care resources.

In addition, the programs or services considered community benefits meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Supports the hospital’s community-based mission
• Targets the problems of the poor or medically underserved
• Impacts the health status of the identified community
• Reduces community health costs
• Is accessible to the entire community regardless of ability to pay
• Would likely be discontinued if decisions were made on a purely financial basis
• Stimulates external community partnerships