Tuesday, April 07, 2009
St. Mary’s and St. Vincent Hospital Supporters Attend Hospital Advocacy Day in Madison Tell Legislators about Economy’s Impact on Hospitals and Hospitals’ Impact on Their Communities
MADISON , WI – (April 1, 2009)… Volunteers, trustees and employees from St. Mary’s and St. Vincent Hospitals joined more than 600 hospital supporters in Madison April 1, 2009 to attend the Wisconsin Hospital Association’s Advocacy Day. Advocacy Day is an annual event that highlights efforts hospitals take to improve quality, increase transparency and expand access to care in their communities.
Advocacy Day attendees heard from keynote speaker Rick Pollack, Executive Vice President of the American Hospital Association, Governor Jim Doyle and a panel of legislative leaders on key health care issues.
“We are from St. Mary’s and St. Vincent Hospitals but we share the same goal as every other hospital in the state: to provide the best care possible,” said Larry Connors, Chief Operating Officer at St. Mary’s . “Advocacy Day gives us an opportunity to meet with our legislators and reinforce to them that Wisconsin hospitals provide high quality, safe patient care and are an economic driver in Wisconsin communities. We want to share these facts personally with our legislators so they, in turn, understand that healthy hospitals mean healthy communities.”
While meeting with their legislators, hospitals representatives discussed a report release March 26 by the UW Extension and Wisconsin Hospital Association on the economic impact hospitals have on Wisconsin communities. That report found that Wisconsin hospitals generate more the $22 billion annually in economic activity and employ more than 100,000 people in communities throughout the state. Hospitals are the top 10 employers in 44 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties and are among the top five employers in 20 counties.
Hospitals representatives provided legislators with the flip-side of this equation too: hospitals are not recession-proof. In fact, in 2008 Wisconsin hospitals reported their operating margins fell 25% with overall margins much worse. They also reported that due to the economic downturn they are seeing significant increases in charity care and bad debt and increased difficulty in accessing capital.
St. Vincent Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center have been delivering quality health care to Green Bay and its surrounding communities since 1888. With St. Vincent being the largest tertiary care hospital and St. Mary’s location on Green Bay’s west side, patients from Northeastern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan benefit from a comprehensive range of services that include cancer care, women’s services, emergency and trauma care, preventive care across the lifespan, digestive health, orthopedic, cardiac care, neurosciences, rehabilitation and pediatrics. Affiliates of Hospital Sisters Health System, the hospitals primary purpose is to continue Christ’s healing love through the delivery of competent and compassionate health care in an environment sensitive to the needs of all people. Both hospitals have been named one of the “100 Top Hospitals” nationwide and are accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Affiliates of Hospital Sisters Health System, we draw on the history of St. Francis of Assisi as we move to continue serving the health care needs of our area in Christ’s healing ministry, caring for all people.
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