As reported by the Intelligencer New Era, the opening of an additional SoutEast Lancaster Health Service at 333 N. Arch Street was made possible in part due to a one-time contribution from Lancaster General Hospital of $2,500,000. This is praiseworthy.
According to LGH’s Federal 990 report for 2008, it contributed a total of $2,630,000 to the clinic, which suggests a subsidy of $130,000 towards operations. The $2,630,000 represented 03.3% of LGH’s $78,844.643 ‘profits’ for the year. The previous year it donated $87,149 to the Clinic out of ‘profits’ of $113,326,709 which comes to less than 1/10th of one percent.
At the same time it contributed $117,000 to Franklin and Marshall College “for program support”!
The bulk of the other grants reported are payments in lieu of taxes to the City and School District of Lancaster ($1,380,000 and $1,372,126 respectively). Other sizable contributions in 2008 going to the James Street Improvement District ($150,000), the Lancaster Alliance ($36,0878), Lancaster County Medical Foundation ($75,0900), Substance Abuse Services Inc. ($37,000), Susquehanna Association for the Blind ($25,000), Water Street Rescue Mission ($51,000), United Way of Lancaster County ($87,000), Franklin and Marshall College ($111,0900), and LGH’s College of Nursing ($60,320).
Inexplicably, nothing appears to have been donated to the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg which received $108,640 in 2007. (We hope this was not the case, but this what the 2008 filing shows.)
Conspicuously absent, from a public health perspective, was any contribution, past or present, towards the syringe exchange operated by the Bethel AME church in the basement of its offices, despite the offer of the Urban League to sponsor and expand the program in cooperation with other organizations dealing with drug abuse and rehabilitation.
LGH is a Public Charity which dominates the market for health care, so its profits both come from higher health insurance cost and indirectly belong to the community. The onetime $2,500,000 contribution is indeed commendable. But is there any reason why LGH should not be donating 20% of its earnings (our earnings!) for public health, education and social services each and every year?
