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Swedish spent more than $258 million on community benefit programs in 2020 and more than $1.3 billion in the previous seven years.
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Programs address mental health, food insecurity, homelessness and more.
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A full report is available with details.
Swedish, one of the largest not-for-profit health care systems in the Puget Sound area, announced today its 2020 Annual Report to Our Communities. The report highlights three community organizations Swedish partnered with to address some of the most difficult public health crises of our time.
In the last seven years, Swedish has spent more than $1.3 billion on community benefits. We are making investments that go beyond the need for free and discounted care by improving access to care and developing new ways to help people stay healthy. In 2020, we spent more than $258 million on community benefit programs, including $30 million in free and discounted care.
The community investments include the costs of uncompensated care for Medicaid, free or low-cost care and many other programs and initiatives focused on improving the health of our communities, increasing access to care and making care more affordable.
Areas we continue to focus on come from our Community Health Needs Assessment and include mental health, homelessness, food insecurity, substance abuse, obesity and diabetes, and joint and back pain.
“At Swedish, we are committed to providing care to the millions of patients from across Puget Sound who enter our health care system each year,” said Guy Hudson, M.D., MBA, chief executive officer at Swedish. “We take seriously our responsibility to deliver the care our community needs and to remain a steady community partner, especially amid unprecedented challenges. The pressures of 2020 underscored the importance of cultivating strong relationships with local organizations and agencies that understand our community’s most urgent needs. Our commitment is reflected in the investments we make and the action we take every day to improve the health and well-being of each person we serve.”
These intentional investments make it possible for people to live their healthiest lives and allow our communities to reinvest in other vital programs. Caring for our communities has never been more important. To see the full report, visit the Community Benefit Report section of our website.
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This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your health care professional's instructions.
