2006 Community Benefits report
Message from the CEO
Born of a community-wide initiative to expand healthcare services, Mercy Hospital has pursued a mission of caring and a commitment to providing quality healthcare services for the people it serves for more than 57 years.
Our day-to-day operations are guided by our unwavering commitment—as a ministry of the Roman Catholic Church—to being a transforming, healing presence within our community. Like all healthcare organizations we are held accountable for measuring and reporting the healthcare and social services provided to the poor and general benefit pro-grams to the community. As a not-for-profit, sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, FL our hospital has a tradition of providing benefits to our community—not as an obligation but because it is simply the right thing to do. This tradition, which is integrated in our core values of commitment to persons who are poor, community, justice, stewardship and integrity, is the foundation for one of the key measures of our success—our “community benefit.”
For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2006, Mercy Hospital provided a total of $23.6 million in charity care, community out-reach and other community benefit services. As Mercy Hospital continues to grow, we look toward a future where our commit-met to our charitable mission and to fiscal responsibility, en-hanes our community benefit even further.
John E. Matuska
President & Chief Executive Officer
Community Services and Educational Programs
Mercy Hospital offers a variety of community education programs in English and Spanish such as health screenings, health fairs, wellness classes, community lectures and support groups, which are held on its campus and in other areas of greater Miami. In 2006, Mercy Hospital reached ap-proximately 96,967 persons with information and education on diabetes, cancer, hypertension, depression and obesity as well as other illnesses and medical conditions.
Mercy Hospital also sponsored several other annual community events designed to raise awareness about specific diseases and raise money to finance research into possible cures. These events included The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk, American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, ASBS’ Walk from Obesity and the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk and Go Red for Women Luncheon.
Outreach Programs Designed to Improve Access to Healthcare
St. John Bosco Clinic
St. John Bosco Clinic is a parish-based primary care program staffed by volunteer physicians, support staff and Mercy Hospital employees. The Clinic, located in Little Havana, provides free healthcare to disadvantaged children and adults who are not otherwise eligible for healthcare programs in Miami-Dade County. Whether diagnosing a life-threatening medical problem or treating symptoms of the flu, St. John Bosco Clinic has been a beacon of hope for those who had nowhere else to turn to receive medical care.In 2006, volunteer physicians provided more than 1,500 hours of service to the Clinic. The Clinic staff also conducted outreach services such as health screenings at several other Catholic parishes throughout the year. Mercy Hospital’s support of St. John Bosco Clinic from providing medical supplies to paying the salary of nurse practitioners is valued at $786,326 for 2006.
Special Immunology Services
Mercy Hospital has been a longtime provider of outpatient primary and specialty medical care and treatment with supportive and comprehensive services to persons living with HIV/AIDS through its Special Immunology Services (SIS) department. Among the services provided to patients who are uninsured or under-insured are mental health counseling, home health, prescription drugs, transportation vouchers, substance abuse residential, health insurance services (assistance with deductibles, premiums and co-payments) and case management. While the services provided to persons living with HIV/AIDS are mostly funded by federal and/or state programs and grants, Mercy Hospital includes the cost of what is not otherwise covered as part of its charity care.Transportation Services
Mercy Hospital continues to offer free patient van transportation to patients that have no access to public or private transportation. Whether it is ensuring that an elderly patient gets to his or her rehab appointment or that a special needs patient gets the diagnostic services he or she desperately needs, Mercy is there to lend a hand. Transportation services were provided to 25,962 patients in 2006.
Contribution to Community in 2006 in Excess of Value of Tax Exemption
As a not-for-profit charitable organization, Mercy Hospital is exempt from state and property taxes. The value of these exemptions in 2006 is estimated at $7.2 million. Although some organizations report the value of community benefit services based on their charges, Mercy Hospital continues to report the value based only on the COST of services. In 2006, the services provided by Mercy to persons who are poor, the uninsured and the community at large totaled $23.6 million and exceeded the benefit of the reductions in taxes associated with these exemptions by $16.4 million.
Providing to the Community through our Core Values
Magnet™ Designation
In February 2006, Mercy Hospital was named a recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) prestigious Magnet™ designation for nursing excellence. The Magnet Recognition Program® recognizes healthcare organizations that demonstrate excellence in nursing philosophy and practice, adherence to national standards for improving patient care, leadership and sensitivity to cultural and ethnic diversity.Mercy Hospital’s Magnet™ designation also recognized the hospital’s successful shared governance model of nursing—where nurses are empowered to make decisions that have a positive impact on patient care. The Magnet™ designation and shared governance reinforces the spirit of true teamwork that had always been present at Mercy Hospital.
Emergency Department Expansion
In 2006, Mercy Hospital continued the renovation of its Emergency Department, which triples the size of its current ER and will allow for greater privacy and comfort for patients and their families. This renovation also allows for incorporating the latest medical technologies and creates separate entrances for emergency vehicles and walk-in emergencies. The Emergency Department expansion represents another step in Mercy’s commitment to constantly strive to be the best at providing leading-edge care to all patients.Sister Emmanuel Hospital
Mercy Hospital is home to one of the few long-term acute care hospitals in Miami—Sister Emmanuel Hospital. The specialty hospital-within-a-hospital takes care of patients with medically complex issues and has 29 licensed beds. The distinct entity offers its own interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers, dietitians and rehabilitation therapists.Because of its unique location and relationship with Mercy Hospital, Sister Emmanuel Hospital offers expanded services such as surgical and clinical ser-vices. In the same Catholic tradition as Mercy and also sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, FL, Sister Emmanuel Hospital ensures that patients access the healthcare they need regardless of their ability to pay.
School of Practical Nursing
Mercy’s School of Practical Nursing (for LPNs) – the only hospital-operated program in Miami – graduates about 140 skilled LPNs annually. The School also offers a program through its affiliation with Miami Dade College that enables students to advance in their nursing career by becoming registered nurses through an LPN to RN Transition Program. This program, which caters to full-time workers and to single parents, enrolled more than 50 students in 2006.Students benefit from scholarship assistance provided by Mercy Hospital. This assures that most students who do not qualify for other financial assistance are still able to enroll in the LPN program.
Advocacy and Community Building
Mercy Hospital’s executive team and associates participate in a number of activities that are examples of the hospital’s connection to the overall well-being of the Miami-Dade County such as the Nursing Shortage Consortium of South Florida, Workforce Housing Committee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and HealthConnect (an initiative spearheaded by The Children’s Trust).From advocating for a new medical school for Miami to supporting the lo-cal transit system by providing incentives to encourage employees to take public transportation, Mercy’s leadership has demonstrated that the hospital is firmly committed to improving the community it serves.
