Tomah Health is among Wisconsin hospitals and health care systems that provided nearly $2.2 billion in community benefits in fiscal year 2024. The figure is part of a new report released by the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) that demonstrates how hospitals serve communities across the state.“Wisconsin’s hospitals and health systems have always been there – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – to deliver high-quality, accessible health care. But their commitment goes far beyond the bedside,” said Kyle O’Brien, WHA President and CEO. “These contributions reflect hospitals’ deep-rooted dedication to the people they serve, from charity care and subsidized services to investments in behavioral health and population health initiatives – services that shape the social and economic conditions that impact health outcomes.”
The $2.2 billion in community benefits include charity care for patients who cannot pay, subsidized services that operate at a loss, health professions education, and critical investments addressing social determinants of health. Hospitals are stepping up where other systems fall short, expanding behavioral health services, supporting substance-use recovery efforts and delivering occupational health programs.
The WHA report also highlights the financial pressures hospitals face. In fiscal year 2024, one in four Wisconsin hospitals reported operating with negative margins due to rising costs, workforce shortages, and inadequate Medicaid reimbursement, which resulted in $1.3 billion in losses. Nearly all Wisconsin hospitals are non-profit, tax-exempt organizations that reinvest revenues into community needs instead of distributing profits to shareholders.
Tomah Health chief financial officer Joe Zeps said the hospital has provided approximately $5.8 million in community benefits this past year. “Tomah Health remains committed to partnering with the communities we serve,” said Zeps. “We know that the support of our community is incredibly important to fulfilling our mission, and as such we take great pride in our ability to give back to the individuals that trust us with their care.”
Zeps said the benefit figure is a direct result of work by hospital staff throughout the year. “Staff should take great pride in the investments the hospital makes in taking care of the community, and we look forward to the continued provision of high quality, high value care for many years to come” said Zeps. He said last year’s figure was approximately $6.8 million, with the decrease primarily related to a smaller percentage of the hospital’s revenue relating to governmental payers.
One of the projects highlighted in WHA’s 2025 Community Benefits Report is Tomah Health’s continued support of the annual National Night Out, which assisted countless individuals and families throughout the community.
WHA’s report follows new national analysis by Ernst & Young for the American Hospital Association (AHA) shows that nonprofit hospitals and health systems delivered more than $11 in benefits to their communities for every dollar of federal tax exemption received in 2022, the most recent year for which comprehensive data were available. The analysis reveals that while the estimated federal tax revenue forgone by nonprofit hospitals was $13.2 billion, they simultaneously provided $149 billion in benefits to their communities – an increase from prior-year analyses that estimated community benefits were 10 times greater than federal tax revenue forgone.