AT THE FOREFRONT OF OUR COMMUNITY

Our Commitment to the CommunityContentsAbout Us......................................................1Providing Benefits and Services...........2Creating Jobs for Chicago......................4Improving Urban Health..........................5~ Community Clinics~ Child Wellness~ Diabetes and Obesity~ Cancer PreventionVolunteering in Our Community.........15Investing in Important Research.........16Contributing to Global Health.............17We are pleased to introduce the University of Chicago Medical Center’s firstCommunity Benefit Report. This publication highlights the myriad ways wehave served the community through the clinical care we provide, as well as theprograms, medical education and research we support.The University of Chicago’s Biological Sciences Divisionand the Medical Center work together under the Universityof Chicago Medicine brand to teach and train futurephysicians, perform research and practice patient care. Ourreach and impact can be seen locally, regionally, nationallyand internationally — from the underserved residents of theSouth Side who get free flu shots to the earthquake victimsin Haiti we continue to monitor and treat.Our benefits to the community start with IRS-definedcomponents for health care providers: losses tied toMedicaid, charity care, education of health professionals,and contributions to community groups and programs.In addition, our commitment to service extends beyondthose categories. We absorb underpayments by Medicare andforgive bills for patients who are unable to pay. We supportmedical research, subsidize costly services such as ourpediatric trauma and burn units, provide volunteer work,and facilitate a number of other health-related activities.Also, each dollar spent by the University of Chicago MedicalCenter and the Biological Sciences Division supports the localeconomy. Nothing embodies both our economic impact and ourcommitment to the South Side better than the New HospitalPavilion, a 1.2 million-square-foot hospital that incorporates thelatest in technology with inpatient and operating-room design.Thanks in large part to this endeavor, the University ofChicago Medical Center has contributed tens of millionsof dollars in economic benefit as a major employer, job creatorand purchaser of goods and services. We are proud thatwomen- and minority-owned businesses have helped to buildthe New Hospital Pavilion, which is scheduled to open inJanuary 2013. We hope you will join us in the fall for a grandcelebration with our faculty and staff.We invite you to spend time reading the personal stories inthis report to learn about our many programs that may benefityou or someone you know.Sharon O’KeefePresident, University of Chicago Medical CenterKenneth S. PolonskyExecutive Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of ChicagoDean, Biological Sciences Division and Pritzker School of MedicineOn the cover: Patient advocate Semeca Johnson. Learn more about her story on Page 5.