Living our values; serving our communities

Sisters of St. Francis Health System Northern Region answers the call

Sisters of St. Francis Health Systems Northern Region walks the walk when it comes to providing services for area communities and benefits for the less fortunate in Northwest Indiana.

The hospitals in the Northern Region, including Saint Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point, Saint Anthony Memorial in Michigan City, St. Margaret Mercy in Hammond and in Dyer and Franciscan Physicians Hospital in Munster, combined provided approximately $150,000 million in Social Accountability Benefits to the Northwest Indiana community in 2007.

A breakdown of the benefits includes:

* Saint Anthony Medical Center: More than $29 million in programs and services, which included St. Clare Clinic (which offers free primary health care for uninsured residents in a six-county area), along with Saint Anthony’s Prenatal Assistance program, the American Heart Association, health screenings and numerous other mission/community-related offerings, were provided. Benefits for the Poor included $4.7 million for charity care; $6.2 million in unpaid Medicaid costs; nearly $400,000 for other public programs; more than $20,000 for community services. Benefits for the Community included $16.6 million for unpaid Medicare costs, $14.4 million for community services.

* Saint Margaret Mercy: More than $79 million in combined Social Accountability Benefits was provided by the Hammond and Dyer campuses. Among services were free health screenings, caring for working uninsured residents at Catherine McAuley Clinic, helping mothers and babies who live in St. Monica Home, or helping troubled adolescents at the St. Francis Center. Saint Margaret also provides sexual abstinence programs for teens and a Volunteer Advocates for Seniors program. Benefits for the Poor included more than $13 million for charity care, nearly $31 million in unpaid costs of public aid, $127,500 in cash and in-kind donations. Benefits for the Community included more than $32 million in unpaid costs of Medicare; $3 million for community support and services.

* Saint Anthony Memorial: More than $39 million in Social and Accountability Benefits was provided by the hospital, which offers an integrated health care network that includes The Women’ Comprehensive Health Center, Duneland Health and Wellness Institute, The Indiana Sleep Disorders Center, The Vascular Center of the Great Lakes and Woodland Healthcare SurgiCenter. Benefits for the Poor included $6.5 million in charity care, nearly $11 million in unpaid Medicaid costs. Benefits for the Community included more than $20 million in unpaid Medicare costs; nearly $250,000 in other community services.

* Franciscan Physicians Hospital LLC was acquired by Sisters of St. Francis Health Services in 2006. In a unique partnership with area physicians, it is building centers of excellence in the foundational areas of cardiovascular and orthopedic services. The hospital provided more than $900,000 in Social Accountability Benefits during a partial period of 2007, including $26,606 in charity care, $215,000 in unpaid Medicaid costs. Benefits for the community included $716,000 in unpaid Medicare costs, $3,000 for other services.