John Muir Health Contributed Nearly $195 Million in Community Benefit in 2023
Focus is on priorities identified in a comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment.
WALNUT CREEK, CA, USA, August 12, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- John Muir Health1 recently released its annual Community Benefit Report2 highlighting the San Francisco East Bay health care system’s contributions to the community. In 2023, John Muir Health contributed $194.9 million – an increase of more than $41 million from 2022.
As a not-for-profit health care system, John Muir Health’s mission is to improve the health of the communities it serves with quality and compassion. Top community needs are addressed by providing grant funding to local nonprofit partners, medical and mental health services for uninsured and Medi-Cal patients, health care workforce training and other community services.
“Our commitment to excellence in patient care parallels our dedication to improving the health of the entire community,” said Mike Thomas, president and CEO of John Muir Health. “We appreciate all our staff, providers and partners who are critical to these efforts and share our mission and vision.”
In 2023, John Muir Health launched a three-year grant cycle to invest in 33 nonprofit partnerships addressing health care access and delivery, behavioral health, and housing insecurity/homelessness prevention. These priorities were identified after a comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment, which takes place every three years. A key element of this work is also to address structural racism and the health disparities it causes in the community.
“John Muir Health recognizes that health outcomes are directly impacted by racism and social inequities,” said Jamie Elmasu, director, Community Health Improvement. “We’re committed to investing in our nonprofit partners to create and adopt interventions that promote equity within their individual organizations, boards, staff, and the community.”
Several John Muir Health partners were featured in the 2023 report as exemplars, including Operation Access. More than 30 John Muir Health-affiliated surgeons, nurses and staff volunteer their time and services at John Muir Health facilities to treat uninsured patients through Operation Access.
“We are here to eliminate barriers, provide interpreters, and help with transportation, or travel to get patients into vital treatment—and John Muir Health is one of our greatest allies,” said Nadia Thind, associate director at Operation Access.
Goodness Village, which is a partner organization in Livermore, provides small homes and vital services for unhoused people who were previously living in cars or tents. The organization has supported diverse staff development.
Another featured partner, Support4Recovery focuses on people and families struggling with substance and alcohol use in the Latino community, which faces substantial barriers in accessing treatment. Support4Recovery has intentionally recruited people with lived experiences to serve on its board of directors.
At the Alameda County Food Bank, a part of the grant from John Muir Health goes toward an innovative program called Client Voice, which helps food distribution sites understand how to better serve their communities’ changing demographics. Locations that historically served African American families are now serving more Latinos, Hmong and other Asian communities.
“Our approach to community benefit is guided by feedback we hear from our community health improvement partners,” said Elmasu. “We also work closely with them to measure the effectiveness of programs and services so that we can ensure they are having the highest possible impact in support of people in need.”
About John Muir Health
John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, Alameda, and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of more than 1,000 primary care and specialty physicians, 6,400 employees, medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including Contra Costa County’s only trauma center, and a Behavioral Health Center. John Muir Health also has partnerships with UCSF Health, Tenet Healthcare/San Ramon Regional Medical Center, Stanford Children's Health, Carbon Health and Optum. The health system offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient, and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopedic, cancer, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, pediatrics, and high-risk obstetrics care.
Ben Drew
John Muir Health
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1 http://www.johnmuirhealth.com/
2 http://www.johnmuirhealth.com/about-john-muir-health/community-commitment/community-benefit-reports
