NVRH Ranks #1 in State for Community Benefits

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ST. JOHNSBURY, VT (February 23, 2023) – The Lown Institute Hospital Index has ranked Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) number one in the state – and in the top 15 percent nationally – for community benefits.

Using data from 2019, the Lown Institute Hospital Index community benefit metric took into account NVRH’s spending on charity care, community health initiatives and Medicaid revenue.

“NVRH truly is a community hospital in which we see the value and necessity to bring together stakeholders across all healthcare and human service organizations to collaborate to create local conditions that lead to better health outcomes,” NVRH VP Marketing and Community Health Improvement Diana Gibbs said.

The Lown Institute Hospitals Index, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nonpartisan think tank, defines measurable standards for a hospital’s social responsibility. It looks at three primary metrics: outcomes, value and equity, ultimately highlighting hospitals that provide exceptional care to all it in the community.

According to the Lown Institute Hospital Index website, the community benefit metric includes “community building activities that help increase the capacity of the community to address health needs and often address the ‘upstream’ factors, or social determinants, which impact health, such as education, air quality, and access to nutritious food.”

Every three years, NVRH conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment. Feedback from community members and key stakeholders helps NVRH identify challenges and then build a plan and allocate community benefit funds to address that plan’s priorities.

“NVRH provides robust community benefit support for local organizations, schools and our community to offer health improvement and enrichment opportunities to meet identified community needs,” Gibbs added.

NVRH manages the regional Blueprint for Health programs. The hospital has also provided Community Health Worker services for over 20 years and was instrumental in establishing and supporting NEK Prosper! an accountable health community that employs the principles of collective impact and uses results-based accountability™ to improve the lives of people living in Caledonia and southern Essex Counties.

“Our communities deserve socially responsible hospitals – and the ones at the top of our list set a great example,” Lown Institute President Vikas Saini said on the Lown Index website.