Cedars-Sinai is driven by its mission to improve the health status of the community and to provide leadership and excellence in patient care, research and education. The Department of Community Health and Education is charged with enhancing Cedars-Sinai's service to and connection with the community as measured by its community education, service programs, participation and involvement with other community service organizations. With the experience and expertise of medical and administrative staff and volunteers throughout the many departments of Cedars-Sinai, and with its collaborative relationships with community partners, Cedars-Sinai has made a significant contribution -- both in quantifiable and nonquantifiable terms -- to the benefit of the community.
Resources allocated to community needs include both dollars and in-kind resources. The principal benchmark used in evaluating the level of resources allocated to community benefits is the dollar value of Cedars-Sinai's tax-exempt status. Compared to the value of community benefits described, the dollar value of Cedars-Sinai community benefit contribution exceeds the value of its tax-exempt status by a substantial amount.
Many Cedars-Sinai programs are operated at a financial loss -- because reimbursement from government payors is at a fraction of the actual cost to provide patient care -- but continue to be offered because they are an important part of the medical center's mission to serve the community's health needs. Some examples are the Trauma Center, Psychiatry and Pediatrics.
In fiscal year 2007, Cedars-Sinai's financial contribution to Community Benefit totaled over $267,629,000 divided among five major categories: Traditional Charity Care and Uninsured Patients, Unpaid Costs of State Programs, Unpaid Cost of Specialty Government Programs, Unpaid Cost of Federal Programs, and Community Benefit. For purposes of estimating Cedars-Sinai's financial contribution to community benefit, the following definitions are used:
Category 1: Traditional Charity Care and Uninsured Patients - includes the cost of services provided to persons who cannot afford health care because of inadequate resources and/or who are uninsured or underinsured. If there is any subsidy donated for these services, that amount is deducted from the gross amount.
Category 2: Unpaid Cost of State Programs - also benefits the poor, but is listed separately. This amount represents the unpaid cost of services provided to patients in the Medi-Cal program and enrolled in HMO and PPO plans under contract with the Medi-Cal program.
Category 3: Unpaid Costs of Specialty Government Programs - also provides community benefit under such programs as the Veterans Administration, Los Angeles Police Department, Short Doyle, proposition 99 and other programs to benefit the poor. This amount represents the unpaid cost of services provided to patients in these various programs. If this community benefit was not provided, the federal, state or local governments would need to furnish these services.
Category 4: Unpaid Cost of Federal Programs - primarily benefits the elderly. This amount represents the unpaid cost of services provided to patients in the Medicare program and enrolled in HMO and PPO plans under contract with the Medicare program. Included in these amounts are $16,248,000 for the year ended June 30, 2007 of unpaid cost of services provided to patients in the Medicare program that are also in the Medi-Cal program.
Category 5: Community Benefit - cost of services that are beneficial to the broader community; i.e., other needy populations that may not qualify as poor but that need special services and support. Examples include the elderly, substance abusers, the homeless, victims of child abuse and persons with AIDS. They also include the cost of health promotion and education, health clinics and screenings, and medical research. Below are descriptions of examples in category 5 of the Community Benefit contribution:
Medical Education, Nursing Education, Allied Health Professional Education
As an academic medical center, Cedars-Sinai offers graduate medical education and many other education programs for health professionals, offering medical resident training programs in over 50 specialty and subspecialty areas. Integrated into the hospital is the Geri and Richard Brawerman Nursing Institute, which provides degree programs and extensive educational resources for aspiring and current nurses.
Research
As a major non-university research organization, Cedars-Sinai's physicians and scientists participate in over 600 research projects. While the research itself is partially funded by competitive grants from the National Institute of Health and other sources, these grants do not cover the full costs -- direct and indirect -- of research. The unfunded costs of research at Cedars-Sinai are included as a community benefit.
Direct Clinical Programs
Clinical services are provided to underserved communities daily, through an on-site ambulatory care center; and through mobile medical units and free and community clinics throughout Los Angeles -- all serving underserved, uninsured and underinsured populations.
Community Health Programs
Each year, Cedars-Sinai takes part in nearly 300 community-based events. Activities include participating in health fairs, exercise programs, and screening programs for conditions such as cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes and hypertension as well as immunizations, lectures and workshops. Also offered are disease-specific support groups, patient education programs and program affiliates.
Community Health Initiatives
Cedars-Sinai plans and implements long-term comprehensive strategies to meet the health needs of underserved communities. Community Health Initiatives seek to improve health in communities by building strong partnerships, building community capacities and providing direct education.
Volunteers
Volunteers provide approximately 200,000 hours of service on an annual basis. Their compassion is an important aspect of care to patients and their families by providing companionship and assistance with simple tasks, as well as the myriad of additional work that is accomplished through assistance of volunteers.
| Category | FY 2007 |
| Traditional Charity Care and Uninsured Patients (Category 1) | $26,996,000 |
| Unpaid Cost of State Programs (Category 2) | $74,460,000 |
| Unpaid Cost of Specialty Government Programs (Category 3) | $2,127,000 |
| Unpaid Cost of Federal Programs (Category 4) | $129,245,000 |
| Community Benefit (Category 5) | $34,801,000 |
| Total Commitment | $267,629,000 |
