THE VALUED VOICE

Community Benefits Stories Due Aug. 30

WHA has extended the deadline for submitting community benefits stories for its 2021 Community Benefits Report to Monday, Aug. 30. 

An important component of WHA’s Community Benefits Report, in addition to the tabulation of Wisconsin hospitals’ financial contributions to community development initiatives, are stories submitted by WHA members highlighting the many ways they are making a difference within their service areas, over and above providing excellent health care. 

These stories will appear not only in WHA’s printed report, which will be shared with legislators and other health care stakeholders and decision-makers throughout the state, but also online, providing individual hospitals an opportunity to draw attention to their report submissions. Last year’s report and hospital stories can be viewed here. 

The following types of stories are welcome: 

• Charity care/free clinics: Stories about how your hospital provides free care for those who cannot afford it are especially powerful. (Note: Donations from staff or the public do not qualify as charity care.)
• Hospital-supported initiatives: Identify a priority from your community health needs assessment and explain how the hospital/health system led an effort to address it. If you engaged community partners, include those partners in the story, too.
• COVID-19 Efforts: Highlight how your hospital/system worked for your community despite unprecedented pandemic conditions. It will be very important to describe what hospitals faced as the pandemic hit our state and how you overcame those challenges, continuing to provide safe and high-quality care to your communities.
• Health Equity: How is your hospital or health system helping to ensure that your services are equally accessible to all members of your community, specifically populations exhibiting health disparities?