We’re in the business of caring for people.

Taking care of our patients — and the community we’re in — is our business. Even when we don’t get paid for it.

Every year, we release information about our “community benefit,” or the amount of care, services and monetary donations we provide to the community.

For fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018), we provided $202,036,498 in community benefit.

But the numbers don’t provide the whole story.

Most of what we give back to the community is in the form of care we provide for free. One of the agencies we support, the DuPage Health Coalition, focuses on helping low-income individuals receive the healthcare they and their families need.

In the last fiscal year, Edward-Elmhurst Health provided about $840,000 in financial support to the Coalition. That funding supports programs like Access DuPage (healthcare for the uninsured), Silver Access (premium assistance for ACA marketplace enrollees), Women’s Cancer Navigation Services, and DuPage Dispensary of Hope, a free pharmacy program for uninsured and low-income individuals.

Edward-Elmhurst Health is one of many area healthcare providers who contribute funding and free healthcare.

“The difference our partners make is profound,” says Kara Murphy, President of the DuPage Health Coalition.

“Many of us take for granted what it is to have insurance, whether we have a minor illness or a serious life event, we can get the treatment we need. Our patients have neither the access nor the funds to pay the cost that comes with it,” she says. “It’s terrifying. We all know how scary it is to be sick. But there are layers upon layers of additional stress and anxiety.

“The patient feels a deep sense of relief,” she says. “What they often talk about is what a relief it was, how afraid they were, and what a comfort it is that they were in a community that really cared for them.”

When it comes to mental health, Linden Oaks Behavioral Health provides free assessments and helps people get access to the care they need. They also support our community’s parents, schools and the faith community with programs and training.

Linden Oaks has trained more than 10,000 people in Mental Health First Aid, equipping so many in our community with essential lifesaving skills.

I love that our employees personally make a habit of giving back.

• Each year we give awards to employees who volunteer with local charitable organizations, and donate to their organization so they can continue their excellent work.
• We help our global community by supporting our doctors and nurses in mission trips to provide charity care.
• Every holiday season, our employees collect toys and books for Toys for Tots.

Our mission is to provide safe, seamless, personal care to every patient who walks through our doors—while keeping our arms open to our community and extending our quality care beyond our bricks and mortar.

Learn more about Edward-Elmhurst Health's community benefit.