Providing a Community Benefit

In our downtown community, there’s a long-standing tradition of “giving back.”

The many not-for-profit providers serving the needy in our neighborhoods have long served a community and public benefit, addressing the needs of those lacking sufficient resources of their own.

For many providers, government is the primary source of funds to carry on these vital activities that serve our frail and needy neighbors.  At the same time, people who work in these nonprofit organizations will tell you that government funds are hardly sufficient to do the job, and in these economic times in particular, reliance on government funds is a risky proposition.

Budget cuts in government programs that support nonprofits’ activities –particularly, but not limited to, Medicaid – have become an ongoing fact of life.

That’s made private donations – from individuals, foundations and corporations – all the more important in order to continue the work these many organizations pursue in order to help those less fortunate get access to the care and services they need.

At VillageCare, we annually have a social accountability agenda to address the needs of persons with low incomes who have high levels of need.

Like many other not-for-profit service providers, VillageCare receives significant resources from government, which in our case support programs that are designed to meet the health needs of the poor and those with limited incomes, particularly in terms of providing services for chronic care and long-term care.

In 2009, VillageCare provided nearly $5 million in community benefit services for which the organization was not reimbursed.  A considerable portion of this – more than $3 million – was a result of what’s called a “Medicaid shortfall,” most of it occurring in the operation of Village Nursing Home.   This shortfall results from the fact that while Medicaid provides health care and long-term care for the nation’s poor, its reimbursement to providers such as VillageCare does not always adequately cover the costs associated with providing quality care.  Hence, there is a considerable gap between the expense of providing quality care and what government pays for that care.

In addition, while government programs provide a sound base to finance services for the poor, VillageCare recognizes that there are many community needs that are unmet.  Through a variety of community benefit endeavors, we seek to close those gaps.

One of those areas is in AIDS care, where Medicaid funds support the health care portion of care that we provide, such as at our day treatment center on W. 20th Street, but where many of the participants need a great deal more support, for which government funds cannot be used.  These include social therapeutic recreational services and peer training, which are services that provide structure and support, helping individuals deal with isolation, depression and other issues.

Another service VillageCare provided last year, which we first began offering in 2002, was assistance through a senior information center, where we provided older adults a place to get help, information and advice about a variety of age-specific concerns, including government benefits, medical issues and long-term care.  The cost of providing this service is not reimbursed.

In VillageCare’s Certified Home Health Agency, considerable funding is set aside for “charity care” each year, exceeding $800,000 in 2009.  This is the cost of providing care for the uninsured.  Also, at the VillageCare Health Center in Chelsea, a sliding scale, based on federal poverty guidelines, is used to provide care for those who have no insurance.  Our Community Case Management program provides pro bono services for persons living with HIV/AIDS who are in a crisis situation and need immediate help but who do not have Medicaid coverage and may not meet the program’s eligibility requirements.  None of these undertakings are reimbursed.

Those are just some of the examples of the ways that VillageCare extends its mission of community service by responding to special needs and gaps in services in the neighborhoods we serve, using whatever funds the organization can identify within its budget.

The fact that government funding isn’t available underscores the great need for private donations to augment the resources that VillageCare and similar organizations have.

Last year, in the face of considerable economic turmoil, VillageCare’s supporters rallied to donate additional funds that helped us continue to serve our community’s frail older adults and persons living with HIV/AIDS.

The loss of St. Vincent's in our downtown and west side communities means that it's more important than ever that community-based organizations such as VillageCare be there to see to it that people don't fall through the cracks.  Making sure that older adults and persons living with HIV/AIDS have access to care and services has always been a VillageCare priority, and it's even more important now with the closing of St. Vincent's.