Community Benefit
Virginia Mason believes in contributing to the communities where patients and staff work and live. We act on this belief by contributing time, energy and money to efforts that benefit the community in the areas of improving health, providing free and subsidized care, and supporting health professionals’ education and research.
Community Health Needs Assessment
Virginia Mason conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years. Our CHNA drives our community work and serves as a guideline to help us achieve three basic goals:
- Improve the community’s health status and overall quality of life
- Reduce health disparities within the community
- Increase access to preventive services
In 2013, Virginia Mason partnered with other King County hospitals and Public Health — Seattle & King County to form Hospitals for a Healthier Community (HHC). HHC develops a shared, county-wide CHNA every three years, and is developing collaborative programs to comprehensively address community health issues.
Subsidized Health Services
Every community needs certain health care services that typically cost more to deliver than the provider of the services receives. These ‘subsidized health services’ are part of Virginia Mason’s mission because they are needed in the community and otherwise would not be available to meet patient needs. They include:
- An Emergency Department that is open to all
- Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled-nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS
- Support of Edward Thomas House Medical Respite for homeless adults in King County
- Support of Project Access Northwest to provide specialty care services to people in need
Community Health Improvement Services
Improving health and quality of life extends beyond diagnosis and treatment. It also requires community health education and outreach services. Health improvement and outreach services provided by Virginia Mason include:
- Community health education, such as our Nutrition and Fitness for Life pediatric program, and diabetes classes
- Free vaccinations and health screenings for people who are uninsured or underinsured
- Support of the Washington State Firearm Tragedy Prevention Network and safe gun storage giveaway events hosted by Seattle Children’s
- Bereavement support through our Grief Services department
Education
Virginia Mason strongly supports medical education to ensure our patients and the community benefit from advances in medical care:
- Virginia Mason is a premier teaching hospital that offers postgraduate education programs through its Graduate Medical Education Department (GME). All GME postgraduate training programs are fully approved by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Virginia Mason trains more than 100 residents and fellows annually
- Numerous medical center physicians have faculty appointments at the University of Washington School of Medicine
- Virginia Mason serves as an internship site for students in a variety of other health programs, such as nursing and pharmacy
- Virginia Mason’s GME program partners with Public Health — Seattle & King County Health Services Division, providing 12-15 residents for the Eastgate Public Health Center
Uncompensated Care
As a nonprofit organization, Virginia Mason is committed to serving patients who are uninsured, underinsured or otherwise unable to pay for their medical care.
Research
Virginia Mason provides support for medical research at Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI). BRI is committed to finding causes and cures for autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis and immune system diseases such as allergies and asthma. BRI's world-renowned scientists are dedicated to predicting, preventing, treating and ultimately eliminating these lifelong, chronic diseases. BRI also oversees all clinical research at Virginia Mason supporting clinical investigators in studies across a wide variety of diseases and conditions that helps advance medicine for Virginia Mason patients and many others. Virginia Mason also assists with BRI’s support of key patient advocacy organizations that help people live with autoimmune diseases, allergies and asthma. Together, Virginia Mason and BRI work to improve people’s lives through remarkable care and exciting medical advances.
Strong Partnerships
Community benefit work is accomplished through various partnerships with an array of nonprofit organizations throughout King, Kitsap and Snohomish counties, including:
- Alliance for Gun Responsibility — Works to end the gun violence crisis in our community and to promote a culture of gun ownership that balances rights with responsibilities
- International Rescue Committee — Provides opportunities for refugees, asylum seekers, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture, and other immigrants to thrive in America
- Mary’s Place — Provides safe, inclusive shelter and services that support women, children and families on their journey out of homelessness
- Plymouth Housing — Works to eliminate homelessness and address its causes by preserving, developing and operating safe, quality, supportive housing and by providing adults experiencing homelessness with opportunities to stabilize and improve their lives
- Red Cross — Prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors?
- Refugees Northwest — Supports refugees and asylum seekers – who are survivors with a great resilience, skills and gifts – move toward health, seek justice and find hope
- Seattle/King County Clinic — An annual, four-day, volunteer-driven clinic that provides free dental, vision and medical care to people who struggle to access and/or afford health care
- Solid Ground — Works to end poverty and undo racism and other oppressions that are root causes of poverty
Environment
Virginia Mason is committed to providing the highest quality health care while preserving the natural environment for our community — now and for future generations. This important work, which is done through our organization-wide EnviroMason program, includes:
- Meeting or exceeding all environmental laws and regulations
- Conserving energy, water, materials and other resources
- Minimizing waste through source reduction, reuse and recycling programs
- Continually increasing our purchases of environmentally preferable and/or local products and services
- Empowering our employees to innovate in ways that reduce our environmental impact
- Educating our patients, team members and community on the environmental and health benefits of sustainability
Information
For more information about community benefit at Virginia Mason, contact:
Ed Boyle
Communications and Community Benefit Program Manager
Ed.Boyle@VirginiaMason.org
(206) 583-6511