Finger Lakes Health’s 2020 Report to the Community-Heroes Work Here, outlines $11.72 million in charity care and community benefit for 2019. The report details how Finger Lakes Health uses its resources and efforts on the areas of health and wellness in our communities and the economic impact of Finger Lakes Health in our communities.
Finger Lakes Health is a not-for-profit health system that delivers care to all members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay.
In 2019, $1.97 million in financial aid (underwriting healthcare for patients in our community who are unable to pay for needed services) was provided at Geneva General and Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospitals. That charity care, coupled with the health system’s other community benefit, totaled $11.72 million in 2019.
Additionally, the report summarizes Finger Lakes Health’s economic impact on our communities with Geneva General Hospital direct employment and the purchasing of goods and services creating 1,900 jobs with a payroll of $71,000,000, and Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital through direct employment and the purchasing of goods and services supporting 600 jobs with a $20,000,000 payroll. Indirectly, the jobs supported by GGH generated $29,000,000 in tax dollars, and the jobs supported by SSMH generated $8,100,000 in tax dollars, both resulting in stimulation of the economies of our communities.
The report further outlines how the health system joins the local county public health departments for the counties it serves, along with other community partners to conduct needs assessments, to determine the health priorities and establish improvement plans to meet those priorities.
Priorities outlined in the community report are: prevention of chronic disease, specifically focusing efforts to increase cancer screening rates for breast cancer and colon cancer with mammography screening and colon cancer screening and preventing mental health and substance abuse disorders. Some of Finger Lakes Health’s outreach initiatives that have targeted these priorities include:
- Adding regular “walk-in mammograms” dates, which are promoted at Geneva General Women’s Health Services and Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital;
- Working through Cancer Screening Services to advertise that mammograms are available at low and no cost. We also have made funds available for any patient needing to return for a diagnostic mammogram to assure cost is not a barrier;
- Utilizing targeted communication such as specialized publications for outreach to the local Mennonite community;
- Primary care physician practices and gastroenterology practice utilize the electronic medical record to prompt patient reminders for screening colonoscopies;
- Enhancing capabilities for and delivery of telemedicine services to expand access;
- Hosting blood pressure screening, support groups, community mobility screenings and sharing wellness strategies and health promotion tips via radio – “Finger Lakes Health Matters” on the Finger Lakes Radio Network;
- Participation by all of its primary care physicians in the Regional Blood Pressure Registry being overseen by Common Ground Health in an effort to increase the percentage of patients with hypertension who have controlled their blood pressure.
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