Community Benefit
Serving Our Community
Middlesex Hospital has a longstanding commitment to providing programs and services that meet identified need, most specifically for underserved and vulnerable populations. Our community benefit program exemplifies our core purpose of improving the health of the communities we serve by measuring the health status of the community, creating programs that respond to need, and collaborating with partners to advance community health, well-being and health equity. We understand the importance of building evidence-based programs with measurable and benchmarked results, positive outcomes and meaningful and sustained health improvement.
What is Community Benefit?
Community benefit programs or activities provide treatment and/or promote health and well-being as a response to identified community needs. These programs:
- Often operate at a financial loss to the hospital
- Respond to needs of special groups, such as underserved and vulnerable populations
- Supply services that would likely be discontinued or would need to be provided by another not-for-profit organization if the decision was made purely on a financial basis
- Respond to public health needs
- Involve education or research that improves overall community health
Why Community Benefit Matters
Not-for-profit hospitals in the U.S. have long been anchor providers of an extensive range of free and/or subsidized services provided to the communities they serve and are pleased to offer these important programs. In addition to this tradition, not-for-profit hospitals are required by the IRS, the state and other regulatory bodies to demonstrate that they are true to their charitable mission and tax-exempt purpose through various reporting requirements. Standards to account for community benefit programming have been implemented to ensure consistency in the reporting of services and accounting for numbers served.
Community Benefit Programs
Middlesex Health’s commitment to ensuring the availability of extensive community benefit programs is the cornerstone of our organization. Our leadership recognizes the importance of Middlesex Health’s influence on the wellness of the communities we serve and continues to support and promote community-wide health improvement services.
Middlesex Health's Community Benefit Annual Report
The Health of our Community
Through Internal Revenue Code 501(r), not-for-profit hospitals are required to conduct a community health needs assessment every three taxable years with input from persons representing the broad interests of the community, prioritize needs, and develop a plan that includes measurable goals and objectives. For the results of our most recent community health needs assessment and implementation strategy, please visit the Community Health Needs Assessment page.
Community Benefit Contact
Please contact Catherine Rees, Director, Community Health Improvement at (860) 358-3034 or catherine.rees@midhosp.org with any questions.