8/30/2016
EVERETT, Pa., Aug. 30, 2016 – UPMC Bedford Memorial provided $4.6 million in IRS-defined “community benefits” last year, an average of nearly $13,000 a day for programs and services to improve the health and quality of life of all the communities UPMC Altoona serves. The $4.6 million total includes:
• $2.7 million in charity care and unreimbursed amounts for programs for the poor
• $1.9 million in community health programs and donations
• $17,000 in medical research and education
UPMC Bedford’s contributions were part of UPMC’s $892 million in total community benefits the health system provided during fiscal year 2015 and published recently in the Community Benefits Report 2015-2016 . The report shows UPMC provided nearly 70 percent of western Pennsylvania’s charity care, which is more than double all other hospitals combined, and far exceeds UPMC’s 40 percent share of hospital patients in the region.
UPMC’s $892 million in total community benefits includes:
• $313 million in charity care and unreimbursed amounts for programs for the poor
• $217 million in community health programs and donations
• $362 million for medical research and education
“We are more committed than ever to the residents of the Bedford - Altoona region,” said Jerry Murray, president of UPMC Bedford and UPMC Altoona. “Our priority is to continue building access to community programs as well as clinical specialty and subspecialty services to residents of Bedford County without their having to travel far distances,” said Murray. “Through our regionalization partnership with UPMC Altoona, we are bringing more specialists to Everett and we continue to grow our telemedicine services with UPMC specialists in Pittsburgh.”
Some of the major community benefits provided by UPMC Bedford throughout the year include diabetes health fairs, monthly multi-phasic blood screenings, various support groups, the Alive and Well educational series, food bank outreach and many others.
UPMC Bedford has a powerful effect on the local economy with a total annual economic impact of more than $90 million.
