Riverside Healthcare Provided $45.5 Million in Community Benefits.

Health, healing and access to quality care are some of a community’s most important concerns, and Riverside Healthcare continues its mission to open the avenues to these priorities for those living throughout the region. In 2014, this commitment was evident in the number of new medical providers Riverside added, as well as the new programs, services, technology and resources introduced or expanded, and the more than $45.5 million in community benefits provided.

“At the heart of any community is the health and wellbeing of its residents, and Riverside is committed to creating and sustaining healthy communities throughout our service area”, said Phillip M. Kambic, President and CEO, Riverside Healthcare. “As part of this commitment, Riverside works with individuals and community partners to address the most pressing health concerns including access to quality care, mental health awareness and education, and chronic disease treatment and management.”

In 2014, Riverside opened a senior behavioral health services program on the hospital’s main campus, an Immediate Care facility in Gilman and a state of the art assisted living and memory care center in Bourbonnais. In addition, the Riverside Medical Group grew to more than 100 primary and specialty care providers with the addition of specialists in interventional and medical cardiology, rheumatology, pulmonology, urology, as well as internal and family medicine. In April 2015, Riverside broke ground broke ground on its newest healthcare campus in Frankfort. The 21,000-square-foot campus to open in Spring 2016 is located at the southwest corner of Route 45 and Steger Road.

Of the $45.5 million in community benefits in 2014 more than $24.4 million went to subsidized health services. This included Medicaid services (care provided to those in state aid programs), and community health centers in Kankakee, Momence and Hopkins Park. New Life Center, ambulance services, health screenings, physician recruitment and health care education, were among the variety of services included in this figure.

The income, employment and insurance status of residents of Kankakee County result in the hospital caring for a large number of patients who are uninsured or underinsured, or for those whom public program reimbursement does not cover health care costs. Riverside partners with various community agencies including United Way, Alzheimer’s Association, Lion’s Board, Parkinson’s Support Group, Gambler’s Anonymous, Harbor House, Epilepsy Support Group, GROW, and many others. Riverside also sponsored numerous events or provided contributions to community agencies such as: American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Kankakee Little League, Options CIL, Kankakee Sponsor a Child, Lungevity, Out of the Darkness, Kankakee County Training Center, American Red Cross, YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, Hospice of Kankakee, Kankakee County Drug Free and others.

The community investment by Riverside in 2014 included the following:

• $24.4 million to Subsidized Health Services - includes Medicaid services (care provided to those in state aid program), and community health centers in Kankakee, Momence and Hopkins Park. This also includes New Life Center, ambulance services, health screenings, stroke education, physician recruitment and health care education, among other services.
• $9.5 million to Uncompensated Care - care provided by Riverside that goes unpaid by any source.
• $6.5 million to Government Sponsored Indigent Health Care- Excess of allocated costs over reimbursed for services provided to Medicaid patients.
• $3.8 million to Charity Care - Riverside uses sliding scale, application process and credit report to evaluate and determine a patient’s eligibility for financial assistance.
• $854,679 to Volunteer Services - value of time spent by Riverside volunteers and employees giving back to the community.
• $228,565 to Education - includes student orientation, scholarships and Riverside’s Nursing Excellence program.
• $77,724 to Donations- includes cash donations to local churches, schools, agencies, etc. Also includes donation of goods and services.
• $13,132 to Language Assistant Services - includes sign language, interpretation of Spanish and/or other languages.

“Building stronger, healthier communities means becoming a vital part of the region’s stability, both socially and economically. Riverside is the county’s largest employer. Our more than 2,670 employees help support local businesses and serve as a crucial economic stimulus,” Kambic said.

In 2014, Riverside’s operations and construction activities’ employment, wages and retail sales were estimated as follows:

• 4,391 jobs
• $217.1 million in wages paid
• $104.2 million in retail sales
• $6.5 million in Illinois state sales tax
• $1.65 million in property taxes for Kankakee, Will, Grundy and Iroquois

To view the Riverside Community Benefit Report in its entirety, click here.

About Riverside Healthcare

Riverside Healthcare is a fully integrated healthcare system serving the needs of individuals and communities throughout the counties of Kankakee, Iroquois, Will, Grundy and beyond. As part of the system, Riverside Medical Center, a 325-bed hospital, provides a full scope of inpatient and outpatient care and is a nationally recognized, award-winning Level II Trauma hospital with nationally-leading programs in heart care, cancer care, neurosurgery and orthopedics. Its reputation for nursing excellence has made Riverside the area’s only Magnet® Recognized hospital. Because Riverside’s clinical performance ranks them among the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide, Healthgrades has named them a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award, and Truven Health Analytics presented them with the 100 Top Hospitals® award. Riverside also operates several community, primary and specialty health centers throughout the region.