Mar 31, 2023

Great Plains Health provides $18.1M in free care in 2022

Posted Mar 31, 2023 7:23 PM

Great Plains Health

At Great Plains Health, we live and work by a single mission: to inspire health and healing by putting the patient first – always. Our vision is to be the region’s most trusted healthcare community, and it is our privilege to serve Greater Nebraska as a leader in healthcare and driver of our community’s growth and workforce. Data from 2022 provides a snapshot into the meaningful impact of Great Plains Health on the North Platte region.

In 2022, Great Plains Health:

  1. Provided nearly $18.1 million in free, uncompensated care to patients.
  2. Contributed more than $2 million to the local economy in utility expenses at its facilities.
  3. Paid more than $129 million in wages to roughly 1,200 employees who live and shop in our region. In the past five years, Great Plains Health has provided $152.7 million in total free care. Uncompensated care is the amount that a hospital does not get reimbursed due to a patient not having insurance or the ability to pay for the cost of care. Likewise, Great Plains Health provided $1.2 million in medication assistance for patients in 2022. More information about Great Plains Health’s financial assistance program is found on the web here. As a non-profit organization, Great Plains Health has a long tradition of improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve. Whether through partnerships with local organizations, financial resources or the many hours each year that our employees and physicians give through volunteering, we strongly believe that we have a corporate responsibility to help ensure the continued success of the North Platte region. Great Plains Health has contributed to key local projects in recent years, including:
  1. 500,000 to North Platte Community College’s Health and Science Center
  2. $500,000 toward the Shot in the Arm Housing Incentive
  1. Approximately $120,000 annually to other community causes including the Platte River Fitness Series, North Platte Trails Network, Mid-Plains United Way, Town Hall Lecture Series, North Platte Community Playhouse, Prairie Arts Center and more.

More information about Great Plains Health’s community giving and grant process is found on the web HERE.

Beyond financial support, Great Plains Health employees give more than 16,500 hours to volunteer causes across the region, with organizations that include Community Connections, Rape and Domestic Abuse Program (RDAP), Guardians of the Children, Fur the Love of Paws, American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and numerous other organizations, schools and churches.

As a nonprofit organization, Great Plains Health’s greatest objective is to serve our community and maintain the independence of healthcare in the region. Great Plains Health prides itself on local leadership that considers local patient needs and community insights, which otherwise might not be considered if operated by a larger healthcare system based in another state.

Great Plains Health is purposeful in making strategic decisions that align with our Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). As part of the Affordable Care Act, tax- exempt hospitals are required to complete a CHNA once every three years to identify the greatest health needs in our community. More information about the current CHNA report is found on the web HERE.