Community Benefit Insight - Tax-exempt hospital

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Carthage Area Hospital

Carthage Area Hospital

1001 West Street
Carthage, NY 13609

Bed count	25	Medicare provider number	331318	Member of the Council of Teaching Hospitals	NO	Children's hospital	NO

EIN: 150622079

Display data for year:

Community Benefit Spending- 2021
(as % of functional expenses, which all tax-exempt organizations report on Form 990 Schedule H)

23.51%

Spending by Community Benefit Category- 2021
(as % of total functional expenses)

* = CBI denoted preventative categories

Community Benefit Spending Compared to Functional Expenses, 2014-2021

Additional data

Community Benefit Expenditures: 2021

All tax-exempt organizations file a Form 990 with the IRS for every tax year. If the tax-exempt organization operates one or more hospital facilities during the tax year, the organization must attach a Schedule H to Form 990. On Part I of Schedule H, the organization records the expenditures it made during the tax year for various types of community benefits; 9 types are shown on this web tool. By default, this web tool presents community benefit expenditures as a percentage of the organization’s functional expenses, which it reports on Form 990, Part IX, Line 25, Column A. (The more commonly heard term, ‘total operating expenses’, which organizations report to CMS, is generally about 90% of the ‘functional expenses’). The user may change the default to see the dollar expenditures.
Amount spent in the following IRS community benefit categories:

Financial Assistance at cost as % of operating expenses	$ 268,470 0.39 %
Medicaid as % of operating expenses	$ 7,469,005 10.78 %
Costs of other means-tested government programs as % of operating expenses	$ 0 0 %
Health professions education as % of operating expenses	$ 0 0 %
Subsidized health services as % of operating expenses	$ 8,552,254 12.34 %
Research as % of operating expenses	$ 0 0 %
Community health improvement services and community benefit operations* as % of operating expenses Note: these two community benefit categories are reported together on the Schedule H, part I, line 7e.	$ 0 0 %
Cash and in-kind contributions for community benefit* as % of operating expenses	$ 0 0 %
Community building* as % of operating expenses	$ 67,845 0.10 %

* = CBI denoted preventative categories

Community building activities details:

Did tax-exempt hospital report community building activities?	YES
Number of activities or programs (optional)	0
Physical improvements and housing	0
Economic development	0
Community support	0
Environmental improvements	0
Leadership development and training for community members	0
Coalition building	0
Community health improvement advocacy	0
Workforce development	0
Other	0
Persons served (optional)	0
Physical improvements and housing	0
Economic development	0
Community support	0
Environmental improvements	0
Leadership development and training for community members	0
Coalition building	0
Community health improvement advocacy	0
Workforce development	0
Other	0
Community building expense as % of operating expenses	$ 67,845 0.10 %
Physical improvements and housing as % of community building expenses	$ 0 0 %
Economic development as % of community building expenses	$ 0 0 %
Community support as % of community building expenses	$ 66,845 98.53 %
Environmental improvements as % of community building expenses	$ 0 0 %
Leadership development and training for community members as % of community building expenses	$ 0 0 %
Coalition building as % of community building expenses	$ 0 0 %
Community health improvement advocacy as % of community building expenses	$ 1,000 1.47 %
Workforce development as % of community building expenses	$ 0 0 %
Other as % of community building expenses	$ 0 0 %
Direct offsetting revenue	$ 0
Physical improvements and housing	$ 0
Economic development	$ 0
Community support	$ 0
Environmental improvements	$ 0
Leadership development and training for community members	$ 0
Coalition building	$ 0
Community health improvement advocacy	$ 0
Workforce development	$ 0
Other	$ 0

Other Useful Tax-exempt Hospital Information: 2021

In addition to community benefit and community building expenditures, the Schedule H worksheet includes sections on what percentage of bad debt can be attributable to patients eligible for financial assistance, and questions on the tax-exempt hospital's debt collection policy. When searching a specific tax-exempt hospital in this web tool, Section II provides information about bad debt and the financial assistance policy, and whether the state in which the tax-exempt hospital resides has expanded Medicaid coverage under the federal ACA.

Of the tax-exempt hospital’s overall operating expenses, amount reported as bad debt as % of operating expenses	$ 5,889,991 8.50 %
Is the tax-exempt hospital considered a "sole community hospital" under the Medicare program?	NO

Information about the tax-exempt hospital's Financial Assistance Policy and Debt Collection Policy
The Financial Assistance Policy section of Schedule H has changed over the years. The questions listed below reflect the questions on the 2009-2011 Schedule H forms and the answers tax-exempt hospitals provided for those years. The Financial Assistance Policy requirements were changed under the ACA. In the future, as the Community Benefit Insight web site is populated with 2021 data and subsequent years, the web tool will also be updated to reflect the new wording and requirements. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this section, we encourage you to contact your tax-exempt hospital directly.

Does the organization have a written financial assistance (charity care) policy?	YES
Did the tax-exempt hospital rely upon Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) to determine when to provide free or discounted care for patients?	YES
Amount of the tax-exempt hospital’s bad debt (at cost) attributed to patients eligible under the organization’s financial assistance (charity care) policy as % of operating expenses	$ 2,894,381 49.14 %

Did the tax-exempt hospital, or an authorized third party, take any of the following collection activities before determining whether the patient was eligible for financial assistance:
Under the ACA, states have the choice to expand Medicaid eligibility for their residents up to 138% of the federal poverty guidelines. The Medicaid expansion provision of the ACA did not go into effect until January 2014, so data in this web tool will not reflect each state's current Medicaid eligibility threshold. For up to date information, please visit the Terms and Glossary under the Resources tab.
The federal poverty guidelines (FPG) are set by the government and used to determine eligibility for many federal financial assistance programs. Tax-exempt hospitals often use FPG guidelines in their Financial Assistance policies to determine which patients will qualify for free or discounted care.
In addition to the federal requirements, some states have laws stipulating community benefit requirements as a result of tax-exemption. The laws vary from state to state and may require the tax-exempt hospitals to submit community benefit reports. Data on this web tool captures whether or not a state had a mandatory community benefit reporting law as of 2011. For more information, please see Community Benefit State Law Profiles Comparison at The Hilltop Institute.

Community Health Needs Assessment Activities: 2021

The ACA requires all 501(c)(3) tax-exempt hospitals to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years, starting with the hospital's tax year beginning after March 23, 2012. The 2011 Schedule H included an optional section of questions on the CHNA process. This web tool includes responses for those hospitals voluntary reporting this information. The web tool will be updated to reflect changes in these questions on the 2012 and subsequent Schedule H forms.

Did the tax-exempt hospital report that they had conducted a CHNA?	YES
Did the CHNA define the community served by the tax-exempt hospital?	YES
Did the CHNA consider input from individuals that represent the broad interests of the community served by the tax-exempt hospital?	YES
Did the tax-exempt hospital make the CHNA widely available (i.e. post online)?	YES
Did the tax-exempt hospital adopt an implementation strategy to address the community needs identified by the CHNA?	YES

Supplemental Information: 2021

This section presents qualitative information submitted by the hospital, verbatim from the 990H record.

Statement of Program Service Accomplishments
Description of the organization's program service accomplishments for each of its three largest program services, as measured by expenses. Section 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations are required to report the amount of grants and allocations to others, the total expenses, and revenue, if any, for each program service reported.

4A (Expenses $ 61948815 including grants of $ 0) (Revenue $ 64731258)
CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT, CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL, LOCATED IN CARTHAGE, NEW YORK. THE HOSPITAL PROVIDES QUALITY INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT HEALTHCARE SERVICES. THE HOSPITAL HAS 25 CERTIFIED BEDS, COMPRISED OF 10 MEDICAL/SURGICAL, 4 INTENSIVE CARE, 3 PEDIATRIC, AND 8 MATERNITY. THE HOSPITAL PROVIDES OUTPATIENT ANCILLARY SERVICES SUCH AS GENERAL AND ORTHOPEDIC SURGERIES, LAB TESTS, MEDICAL IMAGING, EMERGENCY ROOM SERVICES, AND RESPIRATORY SERVICES. THE HOSPITAL HAD 154,433 OUTPATIENT VISITS AND 5,546 PATIENT DAYS OF CARE IN 2021. THE HOSPITAL ALSO HAS AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF PRIMARY CARE, SPECIALTY CARE, AND SCHOOL-BASED CLINICS AND HOME HEALTH SERVICES LOCATED PRIMARILY IN JEFFERSON COUNTY.

Facility Information

Schedule H (Form 990) Section C. Supplemental Information for Part V, Section B.

CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL
PART V, SECTION B, LINE 5: CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL UTILIZES OTHER DATA SOURCES AS NECESSARY INCLUDING PATIENT SATISFACTION SURVEYS, COMMUNITY WORKSHOP EVALUATIONS, AND COMMUNITY EVENT SURVEYS.

CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL
PART V, SECTION B, LINE 6A: THE 2019-2021 JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT WAS PERFORMED IN COOPERATION WITH RIVER HOSPITAL AND SAMARITAN MEDICAL CENTER.

CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL
PART V, SECTION B, LINE 6B: CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL'S SERVICE LOCATION IS WITHIN JEFFERSON COUNTY. THE 2019-2021 JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT PREPARED BY FORT DRUM REGIONAL HEALTH PLANNING ORGANIZATION WAS PERFORMED IN COOPERATION WITH JEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC HEATH SERVICES AND NORTH COUNTRY HEALTH COMPASS PARTNERS.

CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL
"PART V, SECTION B, LINE 11: CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED A COMMUNITY SERVICE PLAN WHICH ALIGNED WITH THE MOST RECENT CHNA. CARTHAGE ARE HOSPITAL FOCUSED ON TWO PRIORITIES ADDRESSING COMMUNITY NEEDS. 1) PREVENTING CHRONIC DISEASE; REDUCE OBESITY: OUR EMPLOYEES MADE REFERRALS TO NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING WITH A REGISTERED DIETITION FOR STUDENTS WHO WERE IDENTIFIED AS AT-RISK DURING THEIR ANNUAL PHYSICALS CONDUCTED THROUGH THE SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CLINICS. THE HOSPITAL PARTNERED WITH A LOCAL FARMER TO USE LOCAL PRODUCE, AS AVAILABLE, IN THE HOSPITAL CAFETERIA AND ALSO OFFERED COOKING CLASSES ON HOW TO PREPARE HEALTHY FOODS AT HOME. THE HOSPITAL OFFERED COMMUNITY EDUCATION ON WEIGHT MANAGEMENT AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLES IN A ""WEIGHT OF LIFE"" EDUCATION SERIES. IN ADDITION TO THE COOKING CLASSES THE HOSPITAL INTRODUCED THE OPTION TO PURCHASE HEALTHY MEALS READY TO BE MADE IN SIMILAR STYLE OF ""BLUE APRON AND ""HELLO FRESH."" OTHER PREVENTION AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS INCLUDED AN ANNUAL COMMUNITY HEALTH DAY AT A LOCAL PARK FOR ALL AGE GROUPS. 2) PROMOTE MENTAL HEALTH AND PREVENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE; STRENGTHEN INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS SYSTEMS: THE HOSPITAL BEGAN TO INTEGRATE SCREENINGS FOR DEPRESSION DURING PRIMARY CARE VISITS AND REFERRING QUALIFYING HIGH RISK PATIENTS TO DEPRESSION CARE MANAGER. PROMOTE AWARENESS AND ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT AT COMMUNITY EVENTS AND CONTINUE TO RAISE AWARENESS REGARDING AVAILABLE SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS AS WELL AS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINIC SERVICES."

Supplemental Information

Schedule H (Form 990) Part VI

PART I, LINE 6A:
CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL ROUTINELY PROVIDES THE COMMUNITY WITH INFORMATION ON THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT ACTIVITIES AND UTILIZATION OF CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL. THIS IS OFTEN IN THE FORM OF NEWSLETTERS AVAILABLE AND DISTRIBUTED TO THE COMMUNITY.

PART I, LINE 7:
THE 2021 COST REPORT PREPARED BY M.S. HALL & ASSOCIATES LLC WAS UTILIZED IN COMPLETION OF SCHEDULE H. THE COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL'S COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN WAS ALSO USED TO COMPLETE SCHEDULE H.

PART I, LINE 7G:
CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL'S SUBSIDIZED HEALTH SERVICES INCLUDE ITS PRIMARY CARE CLINIC, REFERRED AMBULATORY SERVICE, EMERGENCY ROOM, AND OBSERVATION BEDS.

PART II, COMMUNITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES:
CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL HOSTS AND PARTICIPATES IN MANY COMMUNITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES. THERE ARE MANY ACTIVITIES HOSTED BY CARTHAGE WHICH ARE POINTED AT EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY ON THEIR HEALTH. EXAMPLES INCLUDE BREAST CANCER AWARENESS LUNCHEONS, HEALTH FAIRS AND COMMIT TO BE FIT PROGRAMS. INCREASING THE EDUCATION OF THE COMMUNITY IS BELIEVED TO AID IN PREVENTION OF AILMENTS AND THEREFORE ARE AN INTERVENTION METHOD. ADDITIONALLY CARTHAGE PARTICIPATES IN ACTIVITIES THAT BUILD THE GENERAL WELL BEING AND COHESIVENESS OF THE COMMUNITY. SUCH EVENTS INCLUDE UNITED WAY, COMMUNITY PARADES AND SPONSORSHIP OF COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES.

PART III, LINE 2:
BAD DEBT EXPENSE INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED FROM THE 2021 MEDICAID COST REPORT. THE COST REPORT IS COMPLETED BY INDEPENDENT CONSULTANTS UTILIZING PATIENT CHARGE DATA.

PART III, LINE 3:
THE AMOUNT OF BAD DEBT EXPENSE RELATED TO PATIENTS ELIGIBLE UNDER THE HOSPITAL'S FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE POLICY WAS DETERMINED BY UTILIZING THE MEDICARE COST TO CHARGE RATIO APPLIED TO BAD DEBT EXPENSE. THIS INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED BY UTILIZING COST REPORTS PREPARED BY INDEPENDENT CONSULTANTS.

PART III, LINE 4:
THE HOSPITAL IS DESIGNATED AS A CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL BY MEDICARE AND MEDICAID. AS A CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL, MEDICARE AND TRICARE REIMBURSES THE HOSPITAL ON A COST BASIS, AND MEDICAID REIMBURSES THE HOSPITAL USING A TRENDED BASE YEAR COST PER DISCHARGE HELD TO 110% OF THE STATEWIDE AVERAGE OF ALL CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITALS PLUS CAPITAL AND ON A PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR OUTPATIENT VISISTS. THE COMPANY ALSO HAS AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER THIRD-PARTY PAYORS WITH PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS WHICH INCLUDE PROSPECTIVELY DETERMINED RATES PER DISCHARGE OR VISIT, COST-BASED REIMBURSEMENT, DISCOUNTED CHARGES, PER DIEM PAYMENTS AND FEE-FOR-SERVICE PAYMENTS. THE COMPANY RECOGNIZES PATIENT AND RESIDENT SERVICE REVENUE ASSOCIATED WITH SERVICES OR HOUSING PROVIDED TO PATIENTS AND RESIDENTS WHO HAVE THIRD-PARTY COVERAGE ON THE BASIS OF CONTRACTUAL RATES FOR THE SERVICES OR HOUSING PROVIDED, INCLUDING ESTIMATED RETROACTIVE ADJUSTMENTS DUE TO FUTURE AUDITS, REVIEWS AND INVESTIGATIONS. RETROACTIVE ADJUSTMENTS ARE INCLUDED IN THE RECOGNITION OF PATIENT AND RESIDENT SERVICE REVENUE ON AN ESTIMATED BASIS IN THE PERIOD THE RELATED SERVICES ARE RENDERED AND ADJUSTED IN FUTURE PERIODS AS ADJUSTMENTS BECOME KNOWN OR AS YEARS ARE NO LONGER SUBJECT TO SUCH AUDITS, REVIEWS AND INVESTIGATIONS.FOR UNINSURED PATIENTS AND RESIDENTS THAT DO NOT QUALIFY FOR CHARITY CARE, THE COMPANY RECOGNIZES REVENUE ON THE BASIS OF ITS STANDARD RATES FOR SERVICES OR HOUSING PROVIDED. HISTORICALLY, A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE COMPANY'S UNINSURED PATIENTS AND RESIDENTS WILL BE UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO PAY FOR THE SERVICES OR HOUSING PROVIDED. THUS, THE COMPANY RECORDS A PROVISION FOR BAD DEBTS RELATED TO UNINSURED PATIENTS AND RESIDENTS IN THE PERIOD THE SERVICES OR HOUSING ARE PROVIDED. THE COMPANY ESTIMATES THE AMOUNT TO BE RECOGNIZED IN THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS BY ANALYZING PATIENT AND RESIDENT ACCOUNTS FOR COLLECTABILITY, CONSIDERING PREVAILING ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, AND APPLYING HISTORICALLY ESTABLISHED PERCENTAGES FOR SELF-PAY AND VARIOUS THIRD-PARTY PAYORS TO THE AGING CATEGORIES IN THE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AGING AND REVIEWING SPECIFIC OUTSTANDING BALANCES. ACCOUNTS FOR WHICH NO PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FOR A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME ARE CONSIDERED DELINQUENT AND THE ACCOUNTS ARE WRITTEN-OFF WHEN CUSTOMARY COLLECTION EFFORTS ARE EXHAUSTED.THE COMPANY'S ACCOUNTING POLICY WITH RESPECT TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS IS TO REPORT THE CONSOLIDATED BAD DEBT EXPENSE AS A DEDUCTION FROM NET PATIENT SERVICE REVENUE.

PART III, LINE 8:
THE 2021 COST REPORT WAS UTILIZED WITHIN THE COMPLETION OF SCHEDULE H. CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL HAS A REMOTE LOCATION. THE HOSPITAL OFFERS A FULL RANGE OF SERVICES FROM LAB WORK, IMAGING, EMERGENCY ROOM AND PRIMARY CARE DESPITE LOW UTILIZATION AT TIMES. SURPLUSES AND SHORTFALLS OCCUR DUE TO THE WIDE SPREAD OF SERVICES OFFERED WITH A LIMITED AMOUNT OF PATIENTS WITHIN THE REMOTE AREA. HOWEVER, THESE SERVICES ARE CONTINUALLY OFFERED TO PATIENTS INCREASING THE AVAILABILITY TO HEALTHCARE SERVICES. THE HOSPITAL OFFERS SERVICES TO MANY LOW INCOME PATIENTS AS WELL, WHOM OFTEN WOULD CHOOSE NOT TO OBTAIN ANY HEALTH INTERVENTION IF THEY WERE REQURED TO SPEND FUNDS TO TRAVEL TO CARE.

PART III, LINE 9B:
"THE COLLECTION POLICY REFERS TO CHARITY CARE. THE POLICY STATES ""ANY PATIENT RECEIVING SERVICES FOR WHICH THERE IS NO INSURANCE COVERAGE WILL BE REGISTERED AS SELF PAY AND ALL BALANCES WILL BE DUE FROM THE PATIENT EXCEPT CHARIY CARE ADJUSTMENTS AS DETERMINED BY THE FINANCIAL COUNSELOR IN ACCORDANCE WITH CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL'S CHARITY CARE POLICY."" CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL'S COLLECTION POLICY DOES STATE HOW TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. THERE ARE NO PROVISIONS WRITTEN INTO THE COLLECTION POLICY FOR THOSE ACCOUNTS WHICH ARE DEEMED ELIGIBLE FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. CARTHAGE HAS NOT WRITTEN THIS INTO THE POLICY AS THOSE WHO RECEIVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TYPICALLY DO NOT HAVE A BALANCE TO SEND TO COLLECTION AFTER THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS APPLIED."

PART VI, LINE 2:
CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL UTILIZES OTHER DATA SOURCES AS NECESSARY INCLUDING PATIENT SATISFACTION SURVEYS, COMMUNITY WORKSHOP EVALUATIONS, AND COMMUNITY EVENT SURVEYS.

PART VI, LINE 3:
THE HOSPITAL POSTS ITS CHARITY CARE POLICY INCLUDING CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE FINANCIAL COUNSELOR IN THE ADMISSION AREA. ADDITIONALLY THIS INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THE HOSPITAL'S WEBSITE. IF A PATIENT DOES NOT MEET WITH A FINANCIAL COUNSELOR ANOTHER HOSPITAL EMPLOYEE INFORMS THE PATIENT OF OTHER STATE AND FEDERAL ASSISTANCE OPTIONS.

PART VI, LINE 5:
CARTHAGE AREA HOSPITAL PROMOTED THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD COMMUNITY HEALTH DURING SEVERAL EVENTS. HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, PHYSICAL THERAPISTS AND REGISTERED DIETITIANS MADE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE DURING COMMUNITY EVENTS, SPOKE AT LOCAL EVENTS AND OUTREACH EVENTS ON THE HOSPITAL CAMPUS. EVENTS INCLUDED MEDICAL IMAGING OPEN HOUSE EVENT, HOLIDAY PARADE, COOKING CLASSES FOR CHILDREN AND CARE SEAT SAFETY CHECKS.OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THE HOSPITAL SUPPORTED WERE THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION, TOYS FOR TOTS, UNITED WAY, AND MARCH OF DIMES. THE HOSPITAL PARTICIPATED IN WALKS, FOOD DRIVES AND OTHER EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND EVEN HELPED TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE UNITED WAY OF NORTHERN NEW YORK, AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION AND MARCH OF DIMES.

PART VI, LINE 4:
THE HOSPITAL'S SERVICE AREA CONSISTS OF SOCIO-ECONOMICALLY RURAL DEPRIVED POPULATION WITHIN A LARGE GEOGRAPHIC REGION. THE REGION IS SERVED BY THREE HOSPITALS. DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF FORT DRUM, THE NEEDS OF THE POPULATION ARE UNIQUE. THIS AREA IS MORE ETHNICALLY DIVERSE COMPARED TO OTHER COUNTIES IN THE REGION. WHILE FERTILITY AND BIRTH RATES ARE ABOVE AVERAGE DUE TO THE PROXIMITY TO THE MILITARY BASE, THE POVERTY RATE IS HIGH AND HAS CAUSED A LOWER MEDIAN INCOME THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. THE GROWTH OF FORT DRUM AND RAPID NEEDS OF SOLDIERS WHEN THEY REDEPLOY HEAVILY IMPACTS THE UTILIZATION EXPERIENCED AT THE HOSPITAL. THEREFORE OFTEN SERVICE NEEDS REVOLVE AROUND THE ACTIVITY OF THE BASE AND THE HOSPITAL MAY EXPERIENCE TIMES OF SLOW UTILIZATION DESPITE CONTINUED COMMUNITY NEED FOR THAT SERIVCE. THESE FACTORS HAVE CREATED A REGION WHERE THE POPULATION IS OFTEN MEDICALLY INDIGENT.

Operating expenses	$ 69,277,716
Total amount spent on community benefits as % of operating expenses	$ 16,289,729 23.51 %