Retooling for community benefit

Healthcare providers today must have a mission of service both to the individual and to the community. In 1990 the Hospital Community Benefit Standards Program (HCBSP) was launched as a demonstration project to begin the process of defining the elements that constitute community benefit. The HCBSP standards are that a hospital (1) evince a significant organizational and operational commitment to a community benefit process, (2) plan and implement projects and activities that address specific community public health needs, (3) cultivate and maintain relationships with other organizations to foster community benefit, and (4) foster an internal environment that encourages everyone in the organization to participate in community benefit programs. The following elements are important to an effective community benefit program: Governing board involvement CEO understanding and commitment A key senior manager to coordinate An explicit commitment of human and financial resources An epidemiologic data base describing a defined community or population A mechanism for bringing together people in the organization interested in community benefit A mechanism for facilitating dialogue between hospital leaders and representatives from the community A method of linking community benefit processes to outcomes