Oak Lawn, Ill. — Advocate Christ Medical Center played an integral role in Advocate Health Care’s $692 million contribution in charitable care and community services in 2016, up $6 million from the previous year.
The hospital, in addition to providing free and subsidized care, offered several programs and services that respond to the unique needs of Oak Lawn and surrounding communities, as determined through Advocate Christ Medical Center’s community health needs assessments. One of these programs includes Live from the Heart (LFTH), where 3,333 students were instructed on stroke, heart failure, smoking, and cancer over a period of 15 dates in the Advocate Christ Stein Auditorium.
Other highlighted programs include Keep Your Brain in the Game (KYBG), which promoted awareness of stroke and concussion in the community, and a skin cancer outreach program that educed more than 2,000 community members on melanoma and provided free skin cancer screenings.
“Our dedication to continuously building a healthier community is grounded in our mission, values and philosophy,” said Kenneth W. Lukhard, president of Advocate Christ Medical Center. “We’re incredibly proud of our devoted physicians, nurses, associates and volunteers who consistently help us to provide safe and compassionate care to everyone.”
Advocate Health Care, Illinois’ largest integrated health system, provided benefits to communities across the state, including charity care – free or discounted care for the uninsured and underinsured – and care without full reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, as well as language assistance services, volunteer programs, and medical education and training.
Advocate’s contributions included not only hospital-based services, such as trauma care, but also community health focused activities. For example, Advocate funded school-based health centers that provide physicals to low-income, uninsured and underinsured children, immunization clinics focused on ceasing the spread of preventable illnesses, and health education and screenings to identify at-risk individuals and to prevent or promote self-management of disease.