Russell F. Cox is president and CEO of Norton Healthcare and Norton Children’s, a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Louisville, Ky.
Across the United States, a person’s health is still deeply shaped by their social determinants of health. At Norton Healthcare, we see a significant gap in our own community, with a 15-year difference in life expectancy depending on where you live.
A person’s ZIP code should never determine their health outcomes. When a person doesn’t have access to reliable transportation, stable income and nutrient-rich foods, care is sometimes delayed until an issue becomes a serious medical crisis. Health system leaders see the consequences every day. When barriers stand in the way of screenings, medications or routine physician visits, patients often enter the healthcare system later and are often sicker. Conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers are often preventable or manageable when detected early.
That is where not-for-profit health systems play a critical role in health equity. Hospitals have long served as community anchors, with a mission that extends beyond hospital walls to remove barriers and increase access to care.
Expanding Financial Assistance Programs
Offering financial assistance to more people is one way not-for-profit health systems are working to bridge the care gap. At Norton Healthcare, our financial assistance program supports patients with household incomes up to 350% of the federal poverty level. On average, a family of four with a combined household income of approximately $115,000 a year could be eligible for the program. Since we expanded the program in 2023, more than 14,000 patients have enrolled, and more than $110 million in medical costs have been covered.
By listening to the needs of your community and assessing the capacity of your organization, remarkable change can take place.
Partnerships And Preventive Care Programs
Not-for-profit health systems are making significant investments in more than financial assistance programs. Community partnerships and preventive care programs are aimed at reducing the barriers that determine whether patients receive the care they need.
Communities with better access to preventive care experience better health outcomes and more efficient healthcare delivery. Earlier screenings, chronic disease management and primary care also ease pressure on hospitals and care teams. Preventive care reduces avoidable emergency department visits and shortens hospital stays, allowing health systems to focus resources on patients who need the most complex care.
Preventive health comes in many different forms. Sometimes it starts with the food we eat. In 2024, the Cleveland Clinic announced a new teaching kitchen to empower and inspire families to prepare nutrient-rich meals on a routine basis.
Community philanthropy plays an important role in sustaining this kind of work. For example, through the Norton Healthcare Foundation and Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation, supporters helped raise $39.7 million last year to expand access to care and support programs that improve health outcomes across our region.
Making Services More Accessible
Language can determine whether patients feel comfortable seeking care in the first place. Patients who struggle to communicate with providers may delay care or avoid it altogether.
Healthcare organizations are responding by making services more accessible and culturally responsive. One approach is investing in bilingual clinics and care teams that reflect the communities you serve. For example, in 2021, we opened an English-Spanish bilingual clinic that helps patients communicate more comfortably with providers and better understand their care plans.
When patients feel understood and supported, they are far more likely to seek preventive care and maintain regular contact with the healthcare system. Efforts like these often begin as community initiatives, but they also strengthen the care delivery system.
Collaboration Is Key
Addressing healthcare gaps is both a moral responsibility and a necessity. But not-for-profit hospitals cannot solve the challenge alone. Progress requires collaboration among healthcare providers, public health agencies, community organizations and local governments. Not-for-profit health systems are uniquely positioned to lead this work because we are deeply embedded in the communities we serve.
When we invest in financial assistance, culturally competent care and community partnerships, we remove the barriers that keep too many people from accessing care. When those barriers fall, the gap in health outcomes will begin to close.
Forbes Nonprofit Council is an invitation-only organization for chief executives in successful nonprofit organizations. Do I qualify?
