2008 Community Benefits Report

Message from the CEO

For nearly six decades, Mercy Hospital has been committed to delivering excellent quality care and services to our patients, families and the South Florida Community. As a faith-based, non- profit organization, we are dedicated to creating a culture of caring through excellence defined by our core values of reverence for each person, community, justice, commitment to the poor, stewardship, courage and integrity. These core values set the foundation for our community benefits programs.

In 2008, our programs reached more than 267,239 people through healthcare services for the underserved and uninsured, health screenings, educational and informational programs and transportation services. These programs were designed to address and improve the overall health and wellness of our community. In addition, our employees, support staff and affiliated physicians volunteered thousands of hours for countless community programs and other charitable organizations.

Highlights of our 2008 community benefits:

• $13.1 million in care for the disadvantaged, community benefits and education
• $14.6 million in net cost of hospital patient care services including, traditional charity care, public programs and other programs
• More than 254,044 volunteer hours donated by our employees and affiliated physicians with an estimated value of $6.3 million

Part of our mission is to better serve the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our community. In keeping with our mission and commitment to those in need, Mercy will continue to play a leading role in addressing the ever-growing healthcare issues of our community.

We take pride in serving our community.

John C. Johnson
President & Chief Executive Officer

These programs and activities illustrate only some of the many ways through which Mercy Hospital exemplifies its commitment to caring for others and to creating a healthier community.

Serving Our Community
Through these types of programs and initiatives, Mercy Hospital demonstrates its commitment to caring for others and creating a more healthy community.

Working to achieve unity of neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God, we attest to the value of human life in all its cycles.

Mission Statement

In witness of Jesus’ healing mission, Mercy Hospital strives to improve the well-being of those served through a healthcare delivery system designed to promote wellness and cure illness. As a ministry of the Roman Catholic Church and a member of Catholic Health East, we are committed to being a transforming, healing presence within our community.

Adopting the spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph in “working to achieve unity of neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God,” we attest to the value of human life in all its cycles. This is done through respect for the unborn and recognition of the transcendent meaning of suffering and death by combining professional excellence with a compassionate concern for the whole person.

We seek to understand and respond to the needs of our community through collaboration with others that share a common mission and vision. With attention to fiscal responsibility, quality services are made available and accessible to those who need them.

Community Services and Educational Programs
Mercy Hospital touched the lives of 177,608 people in 2008 through a variety of community education programs offered in English and Spanish; such as health screenings, health fairs, community lectures, support groups and wellness classes. The programs discuss a variety of health topics including diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, preventing skin cancer and reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease.

Community Partnerships
Mercy works collaboratively with other community organizations to address healthcare needs and improve the overall well-being of our community. We partnered with several private and non-profit organizations to increase awareness about certain diseases and conditions. These partnerships included: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light
the Night Walk, ASBS Walk from Obesity, the American Heart Association’s Start! Heart Walk and Go Red for Women Luncheon, the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Alert Day and many others.

Transportation Services
Mercy Hospital offers free transportation to patients who do not have access to public or private transportation. In 2008, Mercy provided transportation services to 37,916 patients.

Improving Healthcare Access
From providing more than $4.1 million in uncompensated charity care to delivering nearly $671,000 in hospice care, Mercy Hospital continually seeks to improve the community’s access to healthcare through outreach programs.

St. John Bosco Clinic
St. John Bosco Clinic is a beacon of hope to underprivileged adults and children in Miami-Dade County. The Clinic is a parish-based primary care program staffed by volunteer physicians, support staff and Mercy Hospital employees. It provides free healthcare to children and adults who are not eligible for healthcare programs in the county.

In 2008, volunteer physicians dedicated more than 1,546 hours of service to the Clinic. The Clinic staff also conducted health screenings and health-related outreach services 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 – was valued at $271,558 in 2008.

Special Immunology Services; Caring for HIV/AIDS patients
Through its Special Immunology Services (SIS) department, Mercy Hospital provides integrated outpatient primary and specialty medical care and treatment services to people living with HIV/ AIDS.

Thanks to this long-standing initiative, patients who are uninsured or under-insured receive a variety of comprehensive
support services including:

• Mental health counseling
• Prescription drugs
• Transportation vouchers
• Substance abuse Residential
• Outpatient Medical Care
• Health insurance advisory services (assistance with deductibles, premiums and co-payments)
• Case management service

Many of the services provided are funded by federal and state programs and grants; however, Mercy Hospital covers the remaining costs – a contribution that totaled $210,840 in 2008.

Reaching Out to Schools
Mercy Hospital provides health screenings and education for needy students and families in five CREST schools in the Archdiocese of Miami. A nurse practitioner provides basic health screenings, as well as vital health education courses on topics like nutrition, family life and first aid. In 2008, our school outreach team served a total of 2,597 persons.

Healthcare Access for Everyone
Project Safe Street ensures everyone has access to healthcare. Through this program, a Mercy nurse practitioner provides medical services to the homeless population in the downtown Miami area. These services include basic first aid and health screenings. This program served 586 persons.

Demonstrating Our Core Values
Mercy Hospital demonstrates its core values by continually improving the quality of care and enhancing benefits to the community.

Supporting the Environment
Mercy Hospital is one of the local top sponsors of EcoZone™, an exclusive public/private partnership designed to create solutions that can measurably improve the local environment – at no cost to taxpayers. A unique program that will positively impact the City of Miami’s most critical environmental challenges, EcoZone™ will fund important technologies and solutions in the areas of air, water, energy and green spaces. Miami is the first Florida city to implement the EcoZone™ program and Mercy Hospital is the first hospital in the city to sponsor this “green” program.

Sister Emmanuel Hospital
Mercy Hospital is home to Sister Emmanuel Hospital, one of the few long-term acute care hospitals in Miami. The 29-bed specialty hospital-within-a-hospital takes care of patients with medically complex issues with 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 services. 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
Every year, Mercy’s School of Practical Nursing, the only hospital-oriented program in Miami, graduates approximately 80 skilled licensed practical nurses (LPNs). This program, which caters to full-time workers and single parents, enrolled more than 90 students in 2008. Nursing students who do not qualify for outside financial assistance receive scholarship support from Mercy Hospital, to ensure that they can enroll in the program. In August of 2008 the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Board of Nursing approved an expansion to the School. In January, 2009 Mercy Hospital College of Nursing accepted 23 students to complete course work towards an RN associate degree in Nursing. The program is one year in length and ideal for working LPN’s who are looking to advance their studies.

Keeping ‘PACE’ with the Future
To recognize, retain and reward skilled nurses, Mercy Hospital launched a new incentive program, Professional Advancement through Clinical Excellence (PACE) in 2008. The purpose of the program is to support nurses who choose to stay at the bedside and demonstrate excellence and motivation in patient care delivery. PACE was created so that these nurses can enjoy the benefits of advancement – including financial reward and recognition by peers - while continuing to provide patient care.

Contributing to Our Community
As a not-for-profit charitable organization, Mercy Hospital is exempt from state and property taxes. The value of these exemptions in 2008 was estimated at $8.4 million. Mercy Hospital continues to report the value based only on the COST of services. Like all healthcare organizations, Mercy Hospital is accountable for measuring and reporting the healthcare and social services provided to the poor and general benefit programs to the community.

For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2008, the services provided by Mercy to the poor, uninsured and community at large totaled $25.9 million and exceeded the benefit of the reductions in taxes associated with these exemptions by $17.5 million.