In July 1998, the Allegheny Health Education and Research Foundation (AHERF) filed for bankruptcy protection. Among AHERF’s assets that became part of the bankruptcy were eight Philadelphia-area nonprofit hospitals. As long-time members of the Philadelphia community, these eight hospitals provided critical services to the uninsured and to other vulnerable populations. Within a few short months, the Philadelphia hospitals were sold to Tenet Healthcare Systems, the second largest for-profit hospital chain in the country. The Philadelphia Unemployment Project (PUP), along with other local consumer advocacy organizations, has waged an uphill battle since the bankruptcy filing to (1) keep health care services for the uninsured at the forefront of the debate and (2) try to make community benefits part of the final deal. After a year of advocacy, Tenet recently agreed to establish a charity care policy that applies to non-emergency care.
This panel session will examine how PUP, and other community advocates around the country, won community benefit commitments when its nonprofit hospitals became for-profit.
Learning Objectives: 1. Effective strategies for organizing a community facing the sale of its nonprofit hospital to for-profit status. 2. How to use the sale to extract community benefits for a community’s most vulnerable populations
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.