IU Health contributes $1 billion to Indiana communities: From financial assistance to health screenings

Indiana University Health is a non-profit hospital system. This means we are dedicated to serving all people in our community. This also means that IU Health provides a “community benefit” to its communities.

What is community benefit?

Community benefit describes the many ways IU Health is helping to make Indiana a healthier state. This can range from financial assistance for healthcare expenses to funding community food pantries, free community health screenings, dementia programming, donated school supplies or other needs our communities have.

In 2024, IU Health’s Community Benefit investment topped $1 billion for the fourth year in a row. This makes our system one of the largest charitable groups in Indiana. In 2024, the $1.15 billion in community benefit and investment included:

• $180 million in medical care provided at no cost to eligible patients. This is referred to as charity care or financial assistance
• $41.6 million in community impact investments across the state
• $84.9 million in healthcare education, such as training doctors, nurses and other health professionals through our partnership with the IU School of Medicine
• $54 million in financial and in-kind services, such as providing supplies or team member support to local groups or community programs working to improve health
• $571 million in unreimbursed Medicaid and $150 million in unreimbursed Medicare
• $9.5 million in bad debt
• $1.6 million in research funding

Community benefit also refers to the responsibility that non-profit hospitals have to provide care to their communities. The Internal Revenue Service provides guidelines on how non-profit hospitals should demonstrate community benefit.

Working with partners to support our shared communities

Community benefit funding is invested directly into the communities where IU Health’s 15 hospitals are located. Every three years, the system works closely with our community partners, such as food banks, emergency shelters and schools, to understand what their communities need most and what barriers residents face when trying to access healthcare. This community health needs assessment guides our efforts as we identify and fund ways to address these needs in each community.

Some of the top needs our local communities have identified include access to care, behavioral health, maternal and infant health, tobacco cessation, the needs of aging populations and chronic disease management. By working with partners already embedded within these communities, IU Health addresses these needs directly. Examples include:

• Free immunizations and mobile health screenings (for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, etc.) at food banks, community health fairs, shelters, senior centers and festivals
• Free tobacco-cessation classes
• Grant funding for recovery support, youth mentorship, maternal support and community health across the state
• Infant care education, car seat checks, prenatal health screenings and baby supply giveaways at free community baby showers
• Free community health screenings for underserved people across the state, offered conveniently within barbershops, community centers and places of worship, for example
• Community health workers to help people coordinate care and social supports

Together, these community benefit and investment efforts —ranging from financial assistance to community programs—help our neighbors in Indiana live better lives. By funding healthcare professional education, community outreach, research and charitable care in response to local needs, IU Health provides care and support that is responsive to the people who need it.