Providence Health And Services

Providence Health & Services (since 2016: Providence St. Joseph Health) is a not-for-profit, Catholic health care system operating multiple hospitals across seven states, with headquarters in Renton, Washington. The health system includes 51 hospitals, more than 800 non-acute facilities and numerous other health, supportive housing and educational services on the west coast of the United States ( Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California) as well as Montana, New Mexico, and Texas. Providence Health & Services was founded by the Sisters of Providence in 1859.

As a non-profit hospital, Providence enjoys lucrative tax exemptions in return for providing free care for the poor. A 2022 ''New York Times'' investigation revealed that Providence systematically and deliberately bilked low-income individuals who were eligible for free care, leaving thousands of low-income individuals saddled with medical debt.

During the COVID pandemic, Providence obtained more than half a billion dollars from government funds intended to go to hospitals at risk of going under; the wealthy health care provider had nearly $12 billion in cash and generated $1 billion annually at the time.

History

Providence Health System was established by the Sisters of Providence, a community of Roman Catholic sisters founded in Montreal, Quebec in the 1850s, who established a mission at Fort Vancouver and a hospital in Portland. In 1859, the Sisters incorporated their work, creating the network of health care services known as Providence Health & Services. In 1891, they founded St. Elizabeth Hospital (now PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center), the Pacific Northwest's first permanent hospital opened with 13 beds. The sisters later established several schools and hospitals in Washington, Montana, Oregon, Alaska, British Columbia, and California.

Providence Health System was managed by the Sisters of Providence until December 31st, 2009, when a Council of Sponsors known as Providence Ministries was created to serve as the canonical owners.

Providence Health & Services formally came into being January 1, 2006 with the merger of Providence Health System, the progenitor firm, and Providence Services, based in Spokane and the parent company of Providence Health Care. Providence Health Care itself was formed in 1998 when six hospitals operating under Providence Services incorporated into a single entity. The hospitals making up Providence Health Care constituted the Dominican Network, which "became part of" Providence Services in 1993.

In 2003, Health Management Associates purchased the Providence Health System properties in Central Washington including Providence Yakima Medical Center (formerly St. Elizabeth) and Toppenish Hospital.

In 2012, Providence allied itself with Seattle, Washington-based Swedish Health Services, at which time Swedish's CEO Dr. Rod Hochman, was hired by Providence. In April 2013, Hochman became the president and CEO of Providence. In 2014, Providence entered in an affiliation with Pacific Medical Centers (PacMed). PacMed joined Swedish as part of Providence's Western HealthConnect division.

Providence Medical Group is the "physician division" of Providence. It operates more than 250 clinics in neighborhoods throughout Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Providence Medical Group is part of Providence Health & Services. Providence Medical Group employs more than 1,600 physicians offering expertise in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, dermatology and other specialties.

Providence Health & Services provides outpatient services, transitional care, home and hospice care, substance abuse programs, mental health treatment, prevention and wellness programs, long-term care, and assisted living and housing. Providence Health Plan provides or administers health coverage to more than 375,000 members nationwide.

The company has a program in place designed to reduce the amount of food scraps that it sends to landfills.

Sponsorship

In 2014, Providence signed a sponsorship deal with the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, naming Timbers' stadium Providence Park.

Controversies

In 2018, Providence paid its chief executive, Rod Hochman, more than $10 million.

A ''New York Times'' investigation into wealthy hospitals that obtained COVID funds revealed that Providence Health System obtained more than half of a billion in government funds which were intended to prevent health care providers from going under during the coronavirus pandemic. By that time, Providence Health System had nearly $12 billion in cash. Through investments with that fund, it generated approximately $1 billion in profits per year.

In August 2021, Andrea Caballero, an infectious disease doctor who works at Providence Alaska Medical Center, said they were "on the verge of a hospital system collapse" due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were staff shortages, lack of equipment and supplies, and too many unvaccinated people among the population for the hospitals to effectively treat. There were no mask or vaccine mandates in Anchorage, at the time; it was a policy of the recently elected mayor who successfully ran on a platform of no mask or vaccine mandates.

September 24, 2022, The New York Times published an exposé on the Providence Hospital system, detailing deliberate, systematic violations of state law governing the provision of free care to low-income patients. Providence had hired a consulting firm to devise strategies to obtain money from patients who qualify for free care, including the illegal use of aggressive debt collection agencies, step-wise algorithms for hospital employed collection agents, and withholding from patients that they may qualify for free care.

Hospitals

Providence facilities include the following:

Alaska

* Providence Alaska Medical Center
*Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center
*Providence Seward Medical and Care Center
* Providence Valdez Medical Center

California

* Providence Holy Cross Medical Center
* Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center (San Pedro)
* Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center (Torrance)
* Petaluma Valley Hospital
* Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
*Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center
*Providence Medical Institute
* Providence Saint John's Health Center
*Providence Redwood Memorial Hospital
* Queen of the Valley Medical Center
*Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital
*St. Mary's Medical Center-Apple Valley
* Providence Mission Hospital Mission Viejo
*Providence Mission Hospital Laguna Beach
*St.Joseph Hospital Orange
*St.Jude Medical Center (Fullerton)
*St.Joseph Hospital - Eureka

Montana

* St. Joseph Medical Center
* St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center

Oregon

*Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital
*Providence Medford Medical Center
*Providence Milwaukie Hospital
* Providence Newberg Medical Center
* Providence Portland Medical Center
*Providence Seaside Hospital
* Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
* Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center

Washington

*Providence Centralia Hospital
* Providence Regional Medical Center Everett
*Providence St. Peter Hospital
The following were originally part of the Dominican Network and came into Providence Health & Services upon its formation in 2006

* Deer Park Health Center & Hospital
* Holy Family Hospital of Spokane
* Mount Carmel Hospital of Colville
* Sacred Heart of Spokane
* St. Joseph's Hospital of Chewelah
* St. Mary Medical Center of Walla Walla

Texas

*Covenant Medical Center - Lubbock
*Covenant Children's Hospital - Lubbock
* Grace Medical Center - Lubbock
*Covenant Health Plainview
*Covenant Health Levelland

References

External links

Providence Health & Services
(official website)

Providence Archives
(official archives)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Providence Health and Services

Catholic health care
Companies based in Renton, Washington
Healthcare in Washington (state)
Hospital networks in the United States
Companies established in 1859
1859 establishments in Washington Territory
Medical and health organizations based in Washington (state)
Catholic hospital networks in the United States