Nonprofit Hospital Struggles to Be Charitable

In order to stay true to its charitable mission as a nonprofit hospital, Mount Sinai, in Chicago, has had to struggle financially and continues to treat residents of its inner-city neighborhood, sometimes at the expense of its bottom line, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Over the past five years, the hospital has fluctuated between a small net income and annual losses as high as $15-million.

In its continued efforts to prevent health problems in the neighborhoods it serves, the hospital employs former gang members, promotes smoking cessation, monitors teenage mothers, and serves as a medical safety net for many of Chicago’s destitute. “We can’t be part of this community if we’re not trying to change people’s lives and make it better,” says Alan H. Channing, Mount Sinai’s chief executive.

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