{"id":128869,"date":"2024-03-27T22:43:15","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T02:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=128869"},"modified":"2024-03-27T22:43:15","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T02:43:15","slug":"ranked-number-1-in-pennsylvania-for-charitable-giving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=128869","title":{"rendered":"Ranked Number 1 in Pennsylvania for Charitable Giving"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo caption: Temple St. Luke\u2019s medical students Morgan Storino and Meriam Deeb provide a free health check during the grand opening of the Student Led Interprofessional Care Center in Allentown. SLICC is a medical student led care center that helps those with limited or no access to health care. The center is housed in the Allentown Recovery Center at 315 Linden Street.<\/em><\/p>\n

St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network has been identified by the Lown Institute for the third year in a row as the No. 1 health system in Pennsylvania for charitable giving.<\/p>\n

St. Luke\u2019s is the only health system in the Lehigh Valley with a \u201cfair share\u201d surplus, meaning it spends more on charity and community investment than it receives in tax breaks, according to Lown.<\/p>\n

No hospital in Pennsylvania had a greater surplus than St. Luke\u2019s University Hospital, comprising both the Bethlehem Campus in Fountain Hill and the Allentown Campus. Three additional St. Luke\u2019s hospitals \u2013\u00a0 Easton, Miners and Upper Bucks campuses \u2013 were among the 14 hospitals in the state with a surplus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis report\u2019s findings confirm St. Luke\u2019s longstanding commitment to the communities we serve,\u201d said St. Luke\u2019s University Hospital President Wendy Lazo. \u201cAt St. Luke\u2019s, our culture and values have resulted in meaningful investments and sustained engagement in our communities, from downtown neighborhoods to rural enclaves \u2013 which is why St. Luke\u2019s has been widely recognized nationally, regionally and locally for our service and dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n

See the Lown Institute\u2019s full report:\u00a0https:\/\/lownhospitalsindex.org\/hospital-fair-share-spending-2024\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The Lown Institute calculated fair share spending based on 2021 IRS Form 990. Fair share deficits and surpluses for each system were calculated by balancing the estimated value of hospital systems\u2019 tax exemptions against the amount systems spent on charity care and community investment\u2014 including community health improvement activities, contributions to community groups, community building activities and subsidized healthcare services.<\/p>\n

St. Luke\u2019s fair share surplus stands in stark contrast to the fair share deficits of the vast majority of other health care systems locally and across the country.<\/p>\n

According to Lown research, St. Luke\u2019s University Hospital (Bethlehem and Allentown campuses) spent $8.8 million more on charity care and community investments than the estimated value of its tax exemption. The other three St. Luke\u2019s hospitals\u2019 surpluses totaled nearly $10 million:<\/p>\n