St. Luke’s University Health Network has been identified by the Lown Institute for the third year in a row as the No. 1 health system in Pennsylvania for charitable giving.
St. Luke’s is the only health system in the Lehigh Valley with a “fair share” surplus, meaning it spends more on charity and community investment than it receives in tax breaks, according to Lown.
No hospital in Pennsylvania had a greater surplus than St. Luke’s University Hospital, comprising both the Bethlehem Campus in Fountain Hill and the Allentown Campus. Three additional St. Luke’s hospitals – Easton, Miners and Upper Bucks campuses – were among the 14 hospitals in the state with a surplus.
The Lown Institute calculated fair share spending based on 2021 IRS Form 990. Fair share deficits and surpluses for each system were calculated by balancing the estimated value of hospital systems’ tax exemptions against the amount systems spent on charity care and community investment – including community health improvement activities, contributions to community groups, community building activities and subsidized health care services.
According to Lown research, St. Luke’s University Hospital (Bethlehem and Allentown campuses) spent $8.8 million more on charity care and community investments than the estimated value of its tax exemption. The other three St. Luke’s hospitals’ surpluses totaled nearly $10 million: Easton ($4.6 million), Miners Campus ($2.7 million) and Upper Bucks Campus ($2.5 million).
See the Lown Institute’s full report: https://lownhospitalsindex.org/hospital-fair-share-spending-2024.
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