Commonwealth Health’s Broad Impact on Northeastern Pennsylvania
3/31/2022
(March, 2022) – Over the course of a year, the impact of Commonwealth Health adds up as the skilled and compassionate hands of physicians, nurses and other team members deliver safe, quality care around the clock every day. Beyond clinical care, Commonwealth Health is a major employer and regularly invests resources to expand and enhance the services available locally. The overall community benefit each year is significant and totaled more than $660 million in 2021.
Last year, our hospitals, outpatient clinics and physician offices delivered care at more than 1.3 million patient visits as the pandemic heightened the need for medical care. We have supported more than 2,300 COVID inpatients since March 2020 while sustaining all of our other medical services. To help protect the community from the COVID-19 virus, we provided more than 55,000 vaccine doses and treated outpatients with monoclonal antibodies, helping them avoid serious symptoms and hospitalization.
Employees and medical staff brought their skills and compassion to support more than 96,400 emergency department visits, more than 24,400 inpatients and perform more than 26,700 surgeries. Over 1.1 million patients received care across our outpatient clinics, including physician clinic visits. We also delivered joy to local families as more than 2,300 babies were born.
Commonwealth Health continues to grow and evolve as resources are directed toward increased medical services, facilities and technologies that are important to patients. Access has been enhanced with the recruitment of specialists for obstetrics and gynecology, gastroenterology, urology, neurosciences and cardiothoracic surgery which means more specialty services are available locally. Many of our physicians are now offering telemedicine, making it easier than ever to see a doctor from the comfort of home.
As we work to continuously meet our patients’ needs, we also give back to the broader community. We provided over $38.6 million in charity and uncompensated care for the community’s most vulnerable. And the $24 million in taxes we paid last year helps support civic resources and services such as first responders, schools and roads.
Commonwealth Health also works with local charitable and community organizations such as the United Way, Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, and the Lackawanna and Luzerne County Medical Societies, providing more than $34,000 in donations and outreach.
Our payroll of more than $359 million ripples across the local economy as employees buy goods and services. We have also made capital improvements totaling more than $12 million.
To help the community live healthier, Commonwealth Health last year launched a free e-newsletter with a monthly dose of health and wellness inspiration sent directly to your inbox. Sign up at https://www.commonwealthhealth.net/enewsletter-sign-up.
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