Professional Documents
Culture Documents
COUNTY
HOSPITAL
COMMUNITY
BENEFIT
REPORT
FY2013
Chester County Hospital is an organization dedicated to the health and wellbeing of the people in Chester County and
surrounding areas. Founded in 1892, the non-profit hospital has grown into a 245-bed acute care facility based in
West Chester, plus it has a system of outpatient locations in Exton, West Goshen, New Garden, Jennersville and Kennett
Square. In 2013, Chester County Hospital became part of Penn Medicine* that consists of the Raymond and Ruth
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school)
and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise. In addition to qualitydriven inpatient medical/surgical services, Chester County Hospital also offers home health, hospice and skilled nursing
care; occupational medicine; outpatient laboratory, radiology and physical therapy services; an ob/gyn clinic for the
underserved; wound care; and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.
To complement its many medical services, the hospital is in the process of opening 72 new private patient rooms
on its West Chester campus. To date, 48 of the rooms in the Lasko Tower are in use by Telemetry and Surgical Care
patients. The remaining 24 rooms will open in May 2014 and will be a dedicated Mother Baby Unit.
True to its commitment to providing ways for people to maintain a healthy life, Chester County Hospital offers a broad
scope of high quality health education programs to the community. Physician lectures give people the opportunity to
meet the medical staff and learn about important health concerns. A wide variety of wellness programs and services
that address specific life cycle needs and chronic health conditions are also regularly available. Cardiovascular, cancer,
blood pressure, osteoporosis and other screenings are offered throughout the year to help identify risk at an early
stage. Support groups offer individuals with specific health conditions the opportunity to share their experiences with
others and learn from an qualified professional about how to manage and cope with health problems.
*This Community Benefit Report FY2013 covers a period of time prior to the Chester County Hospital joining Penn Medicine on September 1, 2013.
Chester County
consistently ranks
among the best places
to live and
raise a family.
The county blends the best of everything: beautiful and open countryside; historical significance
and appreciation; excellent school systems; a wealth of corporate headquarters and small businesses;
strong and stable employment opportunities; local and regional access to arts and culture; diverse
communities; and active and engaged residents.
Through the efforts of many individuals, and health and social services providers, Chester County was
ranked as the healthiest county of Pennsylvanias 67 counties in 2010 and again in 2013.
As an active organization in the countys health and social services provider community, this ranking
thrills us. But, we recognize that maintaining, serving, and educating the community about healthy
lifestyles are ongoing efforts. Chester County Hospital is committed to providing a broad scope of high
quality health education programs and medical services to the community we serve.
11.4%
#1
ChesterCountyHospital.org
MORE
THAN
99%
STRATEGIC QUESTIONS
As a result of the health assessment survey, five work groups consisting of representatives from community-based
organizations and agencies are implementing the recommendations of the assessment and developing initiatives to
advance the health of the community. They are finding solutions for the following questions:
1 How can the community expand the concept of cultural competence to ensure access and use of services,
including early prenatal care and health screenings?
2 How can the community partner to provide a seamless, highly coordinated network of services that address an
individual's physical and behavioral health issues?
3 How can the community increase awareness of and education about health and social services to help residents
meet their basic needs?
4 How can the community encourage and support individuals to take action in their own health management and
well-being, including prevention?
5 How can community leaders help create supportive environments to ensure the health and safety of their
communities?
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Based on the CHNA findings, the hospital developed its own Implementation Plan identifying the specific steps it will
take and the level of resources it will commit to maintain and improve the health of Chester County. Specifically, there
were seven key findings in the health survey that the hospital will play an active role, either as a thought leader or
collaborating health resource.
KEY FINDINGS
1 Pregnant Hispanic and African American women seek prenatal care later in their pregnancy compared to
Caucasian women.
2 Based on input from the Hispanic community, the health care and social service system across the county has
too few Spanish-speaking health care providers and translators.
3 Cancer incidence rates for melanomas, breast cancer and prostate cancer are statistically higher in Chester County
than in Pennsylvania.
4 While the percentage of overweight adults in Chester County is lower than the statewide average (56% vs. 64%),
the rate still remains high.
5 Respondents to the survey rated substance abuse and mental health problems as the top two greatest health
problems facing the community. Alcohol and drug abuse and obesity were rated as the top three riskiest behaviors.
13,534
13,130
1,588
1,707
2,299
2,273
41,818
41,933
117,767
127,826
5,040
4,932
124,230
128,378
166,942
163,130
NUMBER OF COURSES
NUMBER OF ATTENDEES
193
2,432
42
898
22
250
99
1,637
29
3,074
385
8,291
Childbirth Education
Childbirth preparation, breastfeeding, newborn care,
sibling classes and maternity tours
VISIT TYPE
NUMBER OF PATIENTS
New Visits
473
Established Visits
4,573
5,046
ChesterCountyHospital.org
OUTREACH EXAMPLES
IN OUR COMMUNITY
Economic Impact
Chester County Hospital provides quality medical and nursing services without discrimination based upon age, sex, race,
color, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, ancestry, national origin, marital status, familial status, genetic information,
gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, culture, language, socioeconomic status, domestic or sexual violence
victim status, source of income or source of payment. Although reimbursement for services rendered is critical to the
operation and stability of Chester County Hospital, it is recognized that not all individuals possess the ability to purchase
essential medical services and further that our mission is to serve the community with respect to providing health care
services and health care education.
Therefore, in keeping with this hospital's commitment to serve all members of its community, it provides:
Free care and/or subsidized care;
Care at or below costs to persons covered by governmental programs;
Health activities and programs to support the community are considered where the need and/or an individual's
inability to pay co-exist. These activities include wellness programs, community education programs, and special
programs for the elderly, handicapped, medically underserved, and a variety of broad community support activities.
EMERGENCY CARE IS PROVIDED 24-HOURS-A-DAY AND IS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL REGARDLESS OF A PERSON'S ABILITY TO PAY.
Chester County Hospital provides care to persons covered by governmental programs at or below cost. Recognizing
its mission to the community, services are provided to both Medicare and Medicaid patients. To the extent
reimbursement is below cost, Chester County Hospital recognizes these amounts as charity care in meeting its
mission to the entire community.
During the year ending June 30, 2013, costs to provide these services
EXCEEDED REIMBURSEMENT BY APPROXIMATELY
$15,512,000
Charity care is also provided through many reduced price services and free programs offered throughout the year based
upon activities and services that Chester County Hospital believes will serve a bona fide community health need.
FACTS + STATS
Community health activities and programs cost $1,453,789 to reach many members of the community.
The cost to provide free care was in the amount of $6,750,121.
With a payroll of $102,000,000, the hospital provides 2,000 jobs, many of which require advanced degrees with
opportunities for continued professional development.
Employer-paid payroll taxes totaled $7,528,000 to support local municipalities, state and federal governments.
ChesterCountyHospital.org
IN OUR COMMUNITY
Volunteerism
Not only does the hospital benefit from the good work of the volunteers, but
the volunteers themselves attain a sense of satisfaction of providing a muchneeded service to a grateful organization in their community. There is pride and
accomplishment in sharing ones time. Our volunteers are critical to the dayto-day operations at the hospital. They help solve problems and are often found
to be the solution.
The Corporation for National and Community Service states that there is a
strong relationship between volunteering and individual health.
ChesterCountyHospital.org
45,791
Hours of Service
VOLUNTEERISM EXAMPLES
Behavioral Health
Director of Emergency Services Betty Brennan, EdD, MSN, RN, CEN, is the organizer and facilitator of quarterly
regional meetings in community behavioral health for Chester County Mental Health and Drug/Alcohol
Community Services. The purpose of these meetings is to bring together multi-disciplinary, multi-agency,
inpatient psychiatric hospitals, emergency departments and other agencies within the county that service and
provide care for behavioral health patients. Through shared agendas, initiatives and forums for discussion in
these meetings, a cohesive and collaborative plan of care for the community behavioral health needs was
created. Brennan voluntarily contacted everyone individually first to gauge and encourage attendance and
distributed a survey to develop a list of topics for the group. The hospital supports Brennan in her community
service by providing the room for the meetings, nourishment and technology support. For her work, Brennan
received the 2013 Healthcare Heroes Award by Main Line Today in the category of community service for
establishing a behavioral health program for patients in conjunction with other health care organizations and
behavioral health facilities in Chester County.
IN OUR COMMUNITY
/chestercountyhospital
@cchosp
#CCHCBR