Network of Care
Valley Health, a not-for-profit health system, is led by volunteer boards of directors who understand the responsibilities of tax-exempt status. We stay true to our mission to provide care to all in need, regardless of ability to pay. Plus revenues that remain at the end of the year are reinvested in programs, equipment and facilities to strengthen our ability to care.
411-bed Winchester Medical Center, a level II Trauma Center, is the region’s key referral hospital. No less valuable to people seeking care are Warren Memorial in Front Royal and Shenandoah Memorial in Woodstock. On January 1, 2008 Hampshire Memorial Hospital in Romney, WV joined Valley Health as our fourth fully-integrated hospital.
Charity and uncompensated care provided by Valley Health in 2007, plus community education, health screenings, and special projects we made available, totaled over $56 million. This represents an 18.3% increase over 2006 and a jump of nearly 47% since 2005.
Examples of our contributions are as near as our emergency departments where we registered 116,000 visits in 2007. Many of those who turned to us had little or no means to pay. Across the system, we provided $18.9 million in charity care, absorbed a loss of $10.8 million caring for Medicaid patients, and wrote-off as bad debt $17.5 million in additional care.
$56 million in community benefits is significant – 10.2% of our net patient revenue. Yet large numbers obscure the smaller details that put a face on our commitment to the community. Besides providing charity care, writing off uncollectible bills, and enduring a loss in caring for Medicaid and Medicare patients, we do so much more. Examples include:
Planting Seeds – Where do career ideas come from? Two of the best are offered by Shenandoah Memorial and Warren Memorial where Camp M.E.D. stimulates career thinking for middle and high school youth.
Camp Superkids – For 17 years Valley Health staff has teamed up with the American Lung Association to help youngsters have a wonderful camp experience and learn how to manage their breathing concerns. 40 to 45 children are helped each year.
Heart Attack Risk Program - Valley Health saw 2,146 people at 188 free and low-cost cardiac screenings held throughout the area in 2007.
Meeting Space - Dozens of non-profit groups used Valley Health meeting spaces for free. AV support was often provided, too. This help was valued at $180,000 in 2007.
Come Explore Health Professions – The program at Winchester Medical Center introduces high school students to a variety of health professions, acquainting them with attractive and flexible careers.
Apple Blossom Safety – The WMC Emergency Department steps up during the Apple Blossom Festival by operating First Aid stations for the thousands who attend the parade.
Getting Athletes into Action – Over 800 high school athletes from Warren, Frederick, Clarke and Shenandoah counties received free sports physicals valued at over $73,000.
Flu Drive Thru – Shenandoah Memorial and Warren Memorial inoculated 570 people at their popular drive-up flu shot program. One delighted beneficiary was a woman with three adult mentally handicapped sons. No need to struggle getting them out of the car; just roll down the window!
Safety with Needles - Diabetics go through a large quantity of needles every year. Now they have help disposing of them safely. Warren Memorial provides patients with needle boxes and a place to drop them off when they are full.
Hurst House - Van Marsceau stayed at his wife’s side during three days of intensive care at Winchester Medical Center following a serious accident. From Charles Town, Van was the first guest to stay at Hurst House. The six-room facility on the WMC campus provides free, convenient, overnight stays to families with limited resources or who live outside the immediate area. 47 families were served by Hurst House in 2007.
Nurse Aid program – You can get a start on the healthcare career ladder through Warren Memorial Hospital’s Nurse Aide and Medication Aide Training Programs.
Rehabilitation - A motor vehicle accident left a man paralyzed. After three months in the hospital and three weeks at Winchester Rehabilitation Center (WRC) he mastered the skills needed to go home. However, Virginia Medicaid was still pending and his family could not afford to purchase or rent some essential durable medical equipment. The WRC DME fund paid for a hospital bed and transfer board, and loaned him a powered wheelchair until Medicaid was approved.
Flu Fighter – Valley Health provided the Free Medical Clinic of Winchester with 1,000 doses of flu vaccine at no cost for their clients, a contribution valued at $12,500.
Project Radar – Winchester Medical Center’s Project Radar trains doctors, nurses, and others to recognize signs of sexual assault by intimate partners, and to deal sensitively with the victim. 35 providers were trained in 2007, raising the total trained to over 300.
Generous Spirits – Employees of Valley Health contributed over $84,600 to assist others through the United Way in 2007.
God Bless! - A parish/faith community nurse (FCN) is a registered nurse with additional training in whole-person health: care of the body, mind and spirit. The program established and supported by Valley Health since 1993 includes more than 50 FCNs, most employed by Valley Health, who volunteer within their congregations. 44 churches are served and over 35,000 people helped via screenings, health counseling or information and referrals.
Helping the Helpers – Our Health, sponsored by Valley Health, serves an assortment of non-profit organizations in Northern Shenandoah Valley. Our Health provides office space for agencies and also extends human resource assistance, financial management support, staff training and volunteer services.
Rx Support – Warren Memorial’s pharmacy filled 516 prescriptions worth over $14,400 at no charge to patients leaving the hospital but unable to afford their medications.