We Carry the Dream Forward

In the spirit of Leonard Parker Pool, we make our community stronger and healthier in dynamic ways

When he had to travel to New York City to get cancer care for his beloved wife, Dorothy, Leonard Parker Pool realized the importance of having the best health care close to home. His vision: creating a superior, regional hospital, so people would not have to travel outside our area.

If Leonard Pool could see his hospital today, I am confident he would be grinning from ear to ear. We are a not-for-profit, charitable organization. That means every dime we make is reinvested in creating better care for our patients and our community. Our leadership team shares a solemn obligation to use these resources responsibly and preserve our health care services for generations to come. Our hospital is unique, home to the region’s only Burn Center, Transplant Center and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, to name just a few.

The good news: we are financially strong. A recent study shows one in four Pennsylvania hospitals lost money last year. We did not. Our strength means we do not have to choose between fixing the roof and investing in a Gamma Knife® that can save more lives. It also means all of us— the 8,000 colleagues who depend directly on our hospital for our livelihood and our health care - do not have to stay up nights worrying about job security.

We are efficient. Just five years ago, when we faced a $1 million loss, your dedication put us back on track. You continue to find cost-saving and quality-improvement ideas through Working Wonders, and remain dedicated to cutting costs in your department. This directly impacts the people we care for every day. Ten years ago, our costs were lower than only about 30 percent of similar hospitals. Now, thanks to our efficiencies, our costs are lower than 75 percent of similar hospitals.

Our strength means we can do amazing things we couldn’t do five years ago. We delivered a record $84.1 million in charity care and service to people in our community last year. This includes free care for people who do not have health insurance or do not have adequate insurance. It also includes free wellness classes, screenings, health fairs, thousands of community flu shots and physicans’ hours in caring for those in need.

We create a more independent community. Our financial counselors help people without health insurance apply for Medicaid so they can access the health care services they need. As a result, we now enroll more than 41 percent of all Medicaid eligible patients in Lehigh County, an 80 percent increase over the past four years.

These are just some of the countless examples throughout our hospital that show how our focus on our community creates a better Lehigh Valley. If you want to learn more about our community service, please visit our web site at www.lvh.org. Also, if you are a member of a community service organization that you believe would benefit from a personal conversation about our charitable mission from one of our senior managers, please let us know.

We are always proud to tell our story, just like we are proud of the work you do every day for our community. Thank you for all you do to help us make Leonard Pool’s dream a reality every day.

Lou Liebhaber, Chief Operating Officer

ARTICLE TOOLS: