UChicago Medicine invested $715 million in community benefits in fiscal 2024

The University of Chicago Medicine invested $715 million in community benefits in fiscal 2024, according to its newly released Community Benefit Report. This includes $29.2 million in financial assistance (charity care) provided to patients across its service areas.

The annual report reflects UChicago Medicine’s work to strengthen community health and reduce health disparities through programming, partnerships and expanded accessibility — efforts spanning the South Side, the south suburbs and, for the first time, Northwest Indiana.

Since 2013, UChicago Medicine has reported more than $5.7 billion in community benefit investments.

“UChicago Medicine is dedicated to improving the health of the communities we serve,” said Mark Anderson, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Chicago. “These investments reflect our long-term work to reduce disparities using data and collaborating with the community across our service areas to ensure that every resident has access to high-quality care.”

For the South Side of Chicago — where residents face some of the most significant health disparities in the city and state — the University of Chicago Medical Center, which anchors the health system, reported $631.5 million in community benefit investments in fiscal 2024, including $21 million in charity care.

For its south suburban service area, UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial contributed $79.4 million, with $8.1 million dedicated to charity care. Both the Medical Center and Ingalls Memorial were formally designated as safety net hospitals in fiscal 2024, recognizing their role in caring for patients with the greatest financial and social barriers to health.

UChicago Medicine serves nearly 614,000 residents across 12 ZIP codes on Chicago’s South Side and more than 242,000 residents across 13 ZIP codes in the south suburbs. These service areas represent the core communities where disparities are most pronounced and where community benefit investments are most urgently needed.

“Our organization’s commitment extends far beyond the walls of the hospital,” said Tom Jackiewicz, President of the University of Chicago Health System. “Our community benefit investments are designed to drive better health outcomes while creating economic opportunity across the region.”

In Northwest Indiana, UChicago Medicine Crown Point contributed $4.1 million in community benefits during its first quarter of operation. The facility opened in April 2024, welcoming its first patients and marking the health system’s expansion into Indiana.

“Our community benefit investments reflect more than two decades of working side by side with our neighbors to address critical health priorities,” said Catina Latham, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer at UChicago Medicine. “From the South Side to the Southland and Northwest Indiana, we remain committed to partnering for healthier, stronger communities.”

Community Health Needs Assessments

Community benefit investments are shaped by Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs), which draw on the perspectives of residents and partners to identify the most urgent priorities. The most recent CHNAs for the South Side and south suburbs were published in 2025.

Community benefit work is directed by UChicago Medicine’s Urban Health Initiative (UHI), which marked its 20th anniversary in 2024, and is supported by Community Advisory Councils (CACs) composed of civic, faith and community leaders who volunteer their time and expertise.

“When hospitals and communities come together, we can build programs that truly respond to the needs of the people,” said Candace Henley, Chair of UChicago Medicine’s Community Advisory Council and Chief Surviving Officer of The Blue Hat Foundation. “Our partnership with UChicago Medicine ensures the voices in our communities are heard and can help shape a healthier future.”

Programs that reach people where they are

UChicago Medicine’s community benefit investments include care coordination programs that provide direct support to patients and families:

Liaisons in Care (LinC) program: From 2021–2024, the LinC program and its Community Health Workers (CHWs) served nearly 6,900 patients, made more than 1,800 referrals to essential resources and achieved a 58% reduction in hospitalizations among participants. UChicago Medicine also invested $1.25 million over five years to help community and faith-based organizations hire CHWs.
Medical Home and Specialty Care Connection program: In fiscal 2024, Patient Advocates in the program managed 6,653 visits — nearly 50% more than the prior year. The program marks its 20th anniversary in 2025.
Violence Recovery Program: In 2024, the program engaged more than 1,900 patients, connecting them with trauma-informed support, housing, employment and legal aid.

Community benefit highlights

Expanding cancer care: Construction continued on UChicago Medicine’s 575,000-square-foot cancer pavilion, scheduled to open in 2027 as the state’s first freestanding cancer care and research facility. The project will expand prevention, screening and treatment to help reduce cancer disparities, the South Side’s second leading cause of death.
Building trauma resiliency: From 2019 to 2024, Southland RISE (Resilience Initiative to Strengthen and Empower) awarded more than $800,000 in grants to over 60 community organizations, including $150,000 in fiscal 2024 for summer youth programs.
Reducing food insecurity: The Feed1st program distributed more than 58,000 pounds of food to nearly 30,000 people in 2024 — increases of 26% and 21% over 2023, respectively.
Creating jobs and career pathways: In 2024, UChicago Medicine, the University of Chicago and City Colleges of Chicago announced a clinical lab and allied health training center in Washington Park, which will support 550 jobs (including 200 new positions) and train 800 students.
Supporting maternal and infant health: Ingalls Memorial’s Healthy Baby Network supported families in 2024 by offering 31 prenatal classes, distributing 414 safe sleep cots and hosting a Drive Thru Baby Shower that provided 250 kits of supplies.
Investing in Northwest Indiana youth: In 2024, UChicago Medicine committed $300,000 over three years with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana to enhance mental health resources and social supports for more than 5,000 Indiana youth.
Economic impact: From 2022 to 2024, 41% of new hires came from the health system’s service areas. Among the existing workforce, 23% of Medical Center employees live in the South Side service area and 18% of Ingalls Memorial employees live in the Southland service area.

Read the Fiscal 2024 Community Benefit Report here: community.uchicagomedicine.org/2024.