Honoring a mission that dates back nearly 160 years, Providence Health & Services, invested last year more than $251 million in community benefit charity care, outreach programs and Medi-Cal shortfalls.

These are Providence Southern California’s community benefit contributions for 2016 to provide programs, services and financial aid to help improve the health of the communities it serves from the Valley to the South Bay:

As a Catholic, not-for-profit health care system, Providence, with six medical centers in the Greater Los Angeles Area and numerous ancillary services, invests proceeds into medical care for the uninsured and under-insured and in community programs to help those most in need.

“Our founders, the Sisters of Providence, traveled to the West Coast in the years before the U.S. Civil War broke out, and established a mission of outreach to the poor and vulnerable – the poor, the sick, the dying and the orphaned,” said Erik Wexler, chief executive, Providence St. Joseph Health, Los Angeles Region. “Today we continue that mission, caring for the needs of our neighbors who are homeless, hungry, uninsured and lacking basic resources.”

Community benefit investments are based on priorities identified every three years in a regional community health needs assessment. The 2016 findings were listed by priority by a group of internal and external stakeholders and resulted in these priorities.

· Access to care and services for those who are uninsured and low-income, including the homeless

· Prevention and management of chronic disease

· Partnering to provide mental health resources

· Food Insecurity – providing food for those at risk of hunger

· Senior care and resources

Across Los Angeles County, Providence provides care for patients in need and offers a dozen community-based programs for vulnerable populations, including the homeless, elderly, low-income families, school children, immigrants and the chronically ill.

In Wilmington, Providence partnered with two nonprofit affordable housing providers to create a Wellness and Activity Center for residents; in Santa Monica, advocates for the homeless provide guidance to resources, including follow-up medical care; and in the San Fernando Valley, outreach that links the uninsured and under-insured to medical homes, including access to specialists.

“We are driven to improve the health of the communities we serve, and live our promise – ‘Together, we answer the call of every person we serve: Know me, care for me, ease my way,’” said Jim Tehan, regional director, community benefit and partnerships. “We work with partners with a range of expertise to address unmet needs and seek solutions.”

About Providence Health & Services
Providence Health & Services, Southern California, is a Catholic not-for-profit, mission-driven healthcare system. Providence Southern California operates six award-winning hospitals and a comprehensive, fully-integrated network of primary care clinics, urgent care centers, home care, TrinityCare and TrinityKids Care hospice as well as Providence High School. Providence is anchored locally by Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Providence Tarzana Medical Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers in Torrance and San Pedro. With more than 3,400 physicians, Providence provides coordinated primary and specialty care through an array of physician groups and individual providers including Providence Medical Institute and physician groups in the South Bay, the West San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita. Providence affiliate, Facey Medical Group, provides primary and specialized care in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys and Simi Valley.

For more information, visit California.providence.org.