Dignity Health Central Coast Hospitals Provided More Than $54 Million in Patient Financial Assistance and Community Benefit Programs in FY23

CENTRAL COAST, CA – June 27, 2022 – Practice Greenhealth is excited to announce the recipients of this year's Environmental Excellence Awards, recognizing health care facilities across the country that have maintained and strengthened their commitment to sustainability, and Arroyo Grande Community Hospital (AGCH), French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC), and Marian Regional Medical Center (MRMC), have each received the Partner for Change Award. In addition, AGCH was honored with the Greening the OR Award for making strides in improving environmental performance in the operating room. 

Health care institutions have found innovative ways to make progress on reducing their environmental impacts while facing unique challenges in the past year. These facilities recognize the intrinsic link between environment, climate, and health, and are working to lead by example.

Hospitals reported achievement across 11 different areas of sustainability through the annual Environmental Excellence Awards program – while highlighting their collaborations with the community, their investments in resilience, and their resolve to address issues of racial equity and health disparities.

Health care institutions have increasingly made formal commitments to address climate change, are engaging staff in supporting their sustainability programs, are working to avoid chemicals of concern in purchasing, are continuing to invest in energy-smart solutions, and are showing leadership in their local communities.

Winners range in size from large, urban, academic medical centers to rural critical access hospitals – but each facility is addressing the links between the environment and human health – and have programs and data to demonstrate their successes.

Learn more about all of the Environmental Excellence Award winners.

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About Dignity Health Central Coast 

Dignity Health Central Coast is comprised of award-winning hospitals, all recognized for their quality of care, safety and service, primary care offices, premier ambulatory surgery centers, technologically advanced imaging centers, outpatient services, and comprehensive home health services. Each hospital is supported by an active philanthropic Foundation to provide additional funding to support new programs and services, as well as to advance the community’s access to health care. For more information, visit dignityhealth.org/centralcoast.

About Practice Greenhealth

Practice Greenhealth is the leading membership and networking organization for sustainable health care, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,100 U.S. hospitals and health systems.

Santa Maria, Calif. (October 16, 2023) – Dignity Health Central Coast hospitals, which include Arroyo Grande Community Hospital (AGCH), French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC), and Marian Regional Medical Center (MRMC), provided more than $54 million during fiscal year 2023 (FY23) in patient financial assistance for those unable to afford medical necessary care, unreimbursed costs of Medi-Cal/Medicaid, community health improvement services, and other community benefits.

Our comprehensive approach to improving community health, including not only inpatient, outpatient and emergency medical care, but also a range of prevention and health improvement programs delivered alongside community partners, financial grants to non-profit organizations, and investments in efforts that address the social determinants of health.

Dignity Health provides emergency medical care and medically necessary care in our hospital facilities to all patients, without regard to a patient’s financial ability to pay.  Our hospitals have a financial assistance policy that describes the assistance provided to patients for whom it would be a financial hardship to fully pay the expected out-of-pocket expenses for such care, and who meet the eligibility criteria. The financial assistance policy, a plain language summary and related materials are available in multiple languages on the hospitals’ websites.

More information about Dignity Health’s financial assistance policy at our Dignity Health Central Coast hospitals, including who is eligible to receive assistance, can be found here, and general information about our hospitals can be found here. 

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About Dignity Health Central Coast

Dignity Health Central Coast is comprised of three hospitals, all recognized for their quality of care, safety and service, primary care offices, premier ambulatory surgery centers, technologically advanced imaging centers, outpatient services and comprehensive home health services. Hospitals in the Dignity Health California Central Coast Market Include Arroyo Grande Community Hospital in Arroyo Grande, French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, and Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria. It also includes Pacific Central Coast Health Centers which is a network of nearly 50 physician clinics spanning from Templeton to Ventura and also Bakersfield. Each hospital is supported by an active philanthropic Foundation to provide additional funding to support new programs and services, as well as to advance the community’s access to health care.  For more information, visit: dignityhealth.org/centralcoast