The 93 hospitals in the metropolitan Chicago region are committed to providing quality patient care and driven by their mission to serve the health needs of their community. Hospitals play a critical role in providing charitable benefits to their community, which include caring for the growing number of uninsured and underinsured; subsidizing the cost of care to seniors and low-come individuals; bringing health care services into the community; educating tomorrow’s nurses and physicians; researching diseases; providing language assistance services; and doing volunteerism and donations.

The 93 hospitals in the metropolitan Chicago region are committed to providing quality patient care and driven by their mission to serve the health needs of their community. Hospitals play a critical role in providing charitable benefits to their community, which include caring for the growing number of uninsured and underinsured; subsidizing the cost of care to seniors and low-come individuals; bringing health care services into the community; educating tomorrow’s nurses and physicians; researching diseases; providing language assistance services; and doing volunteerism and donations. READ

Hospitals strive to treat the immediate medical needs of patients, as well as provide for the future of their health care. Many of the services that hospitals offer on a daily basis, including emergency and neonatal intensive care, are simply uneconomical to maintain. READ

Hospitals in the metropolitan Chicago region alone provided more than $3.5 billion in charitable community benefits in 2009, including more than $1 billion in charity care and “bad debt.” READ

Due to the growing number of racial and ethnic populations in the metropolitan Chicago region, hospitals often face language barriers with their patients. Traditionally a melting pot of diversity, Chicago is home to more than 130 different languages. READ

In 2009, hospitals in the metropolitan Chicago region alone provided more than $3.5 billion in charitable contributions to the communities they serve. READ

One of the largest costs to metropolitan Chicago hospitals is the provision of government-sponsored indigent care, which includes the unreimbursed costs of Medicare, Medicaid and other federal, state and local indigent health care programs, eligibility for which is based on financial need. READ

In the next 10 years, the metropolitan Chicago region will need an additional 20,000 nurses to address the needs of the growing population and aging baby boomers. Throughout the U.S., more physicians also will be needed. A national study suggests a shortage of 124,000 physicians by 2025. READ

Metropolitan Chicago area hospitals care for both the physical and fiscal health of the communities they serve. Health care is the number one employer in the region. Hospitals are generally the largest employer in the communities they serve. READ

It is imperative that government leaders, policymakers and the public recognize the charitable community benefits that hospitals in the metropolitan Chicago region provide. Hospitals have and will continue to provide billions of dollars in charitable benefits because of their vested interest in the health of their communities. READ

Appendix 1: Congressional Districts 1 Number of hospitals: 8 Total employment: 32,000 Total payroll: $2.4b 11 Number of hospitals: 3 Total ... Read more READ