Here is a list of many social service organizations that are wholely or partially devoted to assisting the poor, the needy and often the addicted. They are chronically underfunded and, by and large, their dedicated, selfless, and highly competent employees are underpaid in comparison with workers in for-profit companies.
Aids Community Alliance, Bethel AME Church, Bridge of Hope, Career Link, Center City Clinic, Children & Youth, Church Street Tower, Clare House, Comprehensive Care Clinic, Council of Churches, Council on Drug & Alcohol Abuse, Crisis Intervention, Crispus Attucks, Domestic Violence Services. Gatehouse For Men, Gate House For Women, Gathering Place, Gaudenzia Elsie Shenk Outpatient Center, Hogar Crea Hospice of Lancaster City, Jubilee House, Lancaster Freedom Center, Meals On Wheels, Milagro House, Mission New Life, Nuestra Clinica , Ribbon of Hope, SACA – Spanish American Association, Salvation Army, SHOUT – Student Health Outreach, Southeast Lancaster Health Service, Transitional Living Center Urban League, Vantage, Water Street Rescue Mission, Wellness Center, YMCA, YWCA, Boys and Girls Clubs
Another charity, Lancaster General Hospital, earns an average of $100 million a year, in large part due to its monopolistic health care dominance throughout the county. Its ever increasing strangle hold on the county health care market enables it to charge insurance companies more than other hospitals; in turn, the insurance companies pass on their extra costs in the form of higher premiums on health insurance to local policy holders.
LGH is legally a ‘Public Charity’, yet its dealings are hardly public (all meetings but once a year are closed to media) and their charity amounts to giving ‘chunk change’ to non-profits to keep them grateful.
For example, two years ago LGH donated less than 2% of $118 million in profits to charities. Meanwhile, LGH increased the base compensation of LGH’s top nine executives by 50%, despite 2008 being the worst year for the economy since the Great Depression.
Last year LGH donated 6% of its earnings to other local charities, but two-thirds of that was a one-time grant to Southeast Lancaster Health Service.
To add insult to injury, LGH’s trustees, chaired by attorney Alex Henderson, have recently announced an outright gift of $1, 200,000 to its President / CEO Tom Beeman to compensate him for earnings lost when he takes a leave of absence to serve a year in the Navy. LGH is a ‘Public Charity.’ How can the trustees justify such cronyism?
Consider how much the $1,200,000 would benefit Lancaster if spread among the above listed organizations. It would double some of their budgets!
Further consider how the Lancaster community would benefit if LGH devoted 20% of its earnings to public health and education?
When will the Lancaster Newspapers find the courage to editorially call LGH to account? When will public officials speak up? When will you discuss with your friends and colleagues LGH’s officials and trustees misuse of public funds and lack of transparency?
How can the leadership of LGH sleep at night? Oh… that’s right. They have ‘theirs’ and don’t give a thought for anyone else. How sad.
But look at our political system. Why would we expect anything else?? We are fed the same arrogance and general disregard 24 hours a day via cable news and, quite frankly, have to regard our local LNP reporting with suspician as to whether we are getting an unbiased story.
Is there a good, worthy leadership anywhere? Or are they (good leaders) there and we are just to numb to it all to notice and/or care? I don’t think it is courage that is lacking. My vote is on general public apathy.
The Trustees know this and know they can do as they will. Why should they have responsibilty and integrity when the cash drawer is left open and nobody cares if they empty it. (Newslanc editor the obvious exception.)
Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse changed its named to CompassMark and I would also include CAP and the Boys and Girls Club to that list.