Advocate Health Care provided $692 million in community benefits during 2016, up $6 million from previous year
Chicago, Ill. — Advocate Illinois Masonic 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 Chicago and surrounding communities, as determined through Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center’s community health needs assessments. Some of these programs include the mobile dental program, medication assistance program, the Medically Integrated Community Crisis Support program and the Pediatric Development Center.
“So many members of our community are in need of important health care services. In the present world of health-care funding, it seems that there is not yet ‘one big answer,’” says Susan Nordstrom-Lopez, president of Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
But we do our best to creatively stretch available resources, both within and outside our walls, to make sure that we serve as large a population as possible.”
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center’s contributions included not only hospital-based services, such as trauma care but also community health-focused activities. For example, the Mobile Dental Program provides comprehensive dental care that is affordable and accessible to at-risk and underserved individuals across Chicago, including low-income children and seniors and people who are homeless and mentally ill.
The dental van is a modern dental office on wheels equipped with two exam rooms. Virtually any service provided in a freestanding dental facility can be performed right where the patients are. Dental professionals screen and treat patients, providing a complete range of dental services.
In 2016, the Mobile Dental Program served 651 patients through 1,596 visits, providing dental care to 233 individuals covered by Medicaid and 418 who had no insurance coverage. In 2015, the program served 637 patients through 1,527 patient visits, providing dental care to 295 patients who were covered by Medicaid and 342 who had no insurance coverage.
“Many of the underserved individuals this program targets, including senior citizens, people with disability and the homeless, face barriers that make it challenging to access high-quality dental services,” says Amy Martin, DDS, director of the Mobile Dental Program. “Those barriers can include lack of access to transportation or financial challenges. By bringing comprehensive dental care right to these individuals, we’re able to fill a critically important health care need for our community.”