Atrium Health Navicent’s Indigent Care, Health Care Equity Reinvestments Total $248 Million
Atrium Health’s reinvestments into the communities it serves continues to grow. In its first year as part of Charlotte-based Advocate Health, Atrium Health Navicent gave back more than $248 million in community benefit in 2023.
Across its Georgia and Alabama service area, which also includes Atrium Health Floyd, the health system reinvested more than $385.8 million in services benefiting the community. That amounts to more than $1 million per day.
Atrium Health is the care delivery brand for Advocate Health in the Southeastern United States and incorporates health care sites in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. Advocate Health, the nation’s third-largest nonprofit health system, totaled more than $6 billion in total community benefit last year across its six-state service region, with Atrium Health comprising roughly half of that total.
“This community benefit report is evidence of our commitment to making a significant impact in all the communities we serve to make health care more accessible for all – including by addressing the social drivers that negatively impact people's health,” said Advocate Health Chief Executive Officer Eugene A. Woods. “I am inspired on a daily basis by our team's dedication to providing nationally leading care, not just within our facilities, but well beyond our walls and into vulnerable communities in greatest need.”
Community benefit, as defined by the IRS, includes community investments into free and discounted care for low-income patients, undercompensated care for those on Medicare and Medicaid and costs related to medical research, among other programs and services that promote health, well-being and community building.
“Community benefit is the heartbeat of nonprofit health care,” said Ken Haynes, president of Advocate Health’s Southeast Region, which includes all of Atrium Health. “In addition to the high-quality care we provide, community benefit demonstrates the greater value of our mission, overall, in protecting the health of our communities and making investments to help address key challenges such as hunger, homelessness and mental health that have long-term impacts on communities and the health of people who live there. This new record for annual community benefit – nearly $3 billion – is a testament to the positive impact Atrium Health has improving health, elevating hope and advancing healing for all.”
At Atrium Health Navicent, community benefits provided in 2023 included expansion of the neonatal intensive care unit and emergency pediatric behavioral health capacity at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital, the region’s only dedicated children’s hospital.
Other benefits included:
• Free care for low-income patients, and undercompensated and unreimbursed care for patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid
• Costs related to medical education and ongoing education for health care teammates
• Subsidized health services including trauma and behavioral health services, screenings, immunizations, schoolbased health care and other community outreach programs
• Contributions of equipment and supplies
“Our annual community benefit report is a reflection of our long-term commitment to improve health in the communities we serve,” said Atrium Health Navicent President Delvecchio Finley. “With each patient encounter and by investing in teammates who live and shop near our facilities, we’re making today and the future a little brighter for central and south Georgia.”
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.