A Letter from the CEO

Everyone. Everywhere. Every way.

When it comes to Carle Foundation Hospital’s commitment to our community and to improving health care in our region, everyone matters. To us, this commitment means not only providing world class health care for everyone, but also seeking out opportunities to reach people everywhere through education, advocacy and research. It is a steadfast dedication to improving access to the best health care possible, regardless of patients’ ability to pay.

As a tax-exempt organization, we are pleased to provide this report highlighting the community benefit provided by The Carle Foundation during the last year. While the facts and figures are important, what truly resonate and endure are the stories of those we touch through our Community Benefit Plan, including our clinical services, Community Care Discount Program, and education and research initiatives. And, as you will read in this report, The Carle Foundation provided charity care and community benefit to more east central Illinois residents than ever before.

A large part of reaching out to our community is educating our staff and patients about our Community Care Discount Program. We realize that a strong financial support program is only effective if residents know about the resources available to them. During recent years, we made a conscious effort to increase the awareness of the Community Care Discount Program in a variety of ways. Those efforts paid off, with the amount of charity care increasing significantly from the previous year.

There is no denying that the percentage of the uninsured and underinsured is on the rise, forcing people to make difficult decisions affecting their health and financial security. To help combat this troubling trend, Carle is focused not only on direct financial support for our patients, but also on supporting community wide efforts to improve access to healthcare services. It is in those cases that Carle Foundation Hospital truly shines. In this report, you’ll learn about people whose lives were touched this year through Carle Foundation Hospital’s $100,000 donation to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD). By supporting CUPHD and its dental and vision care programs, as well as Central Illinois Dental Education and Services in Rantoul, Carle is helping provide preventive care and treatment that has a positive impact on individuals’ overall health.

We are very proud of our community benefit efforts. Despite continued scrutiny of our tax-exempt status by local and state agencies and continued uncertainty about the definitions of community benefit within the healthcare industry, Carle Foundation Hospital and hospitals like us are forging ahead with innovative and inclusive charitable programs that confirm our commitment to health care now and in the future.

For more than 75 years, Carle Foundation Hospital has been a leader and innovator in east central Illinois. Today that position is reinforced every day as we provide quality, compassionate care to our patients and everyone we can possibly reach in every way. Thank you for allowing Carle Foundation Hospital to remain part of your life and your community. We are honored to have your trust in caring for your family and community.

James C. Leonard, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Carle Foundation