Ohio University’s Community Health Programs has $63 million financial impact on southeast Ohio

Southeast Ohio is the beneficiary of roughly $63 million in social and economic gains from the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s health services and clinics, most of which are free, according to a recent social return on investment analysis of the college’s Community Health Programs (CHP). CHP offers health and education services to address unmet needs in underserved populations throughout the region. 

The study found that for every $1 invested by CHP through its many programs, more than $32 in social value is generated for the individuals served, including people with little or no insurance, pregnant clients and infants. Social return on investment is calculated by looking at the social, economic and environmental impacts that an organization has on the community, usually in terms of the benefits that are gained or in costs that the community avoids paying because of the services the organization provides. This can range from finding employment to preventing costly medical care, such as reducing the use of emergency rooms and helping more mothers give birth to healthy infants.

The findings from the social return on investment report, conducted by the Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, reflect the profound impact of CHP and its three service areas on southeast Ohio. According to the report, in 2023, the Heritage Community Clinic generated about $47 million in social value; the Family Navigator Program, which helps Medicaid-eligible pregnant clients have healthy babies, generated $5 million; and over $7.2 million in social value was generated by COMCorps, which offers paid service opportunities at partner sites in the region.

“For years, we have talked anecdotally about the difference our programs are making, but we felt it was time to quantify what that means for our community. There’s a positive ripple effect that happens when health care and health education are accessible to everyone in a community. And that positive change can be seen not only in health outcomes, but on the local economy,” said Sherry Oliver, executive director of Community Health Programs.  “We now have numbers that show for every dollar invested in community health programs, there is a significant return on that investment, one that changes the community for the better.”

One of the services offered by CHP is the Heritage Community Clinic, which provides no-cost primary and specialty health care to uninsured and underinsured individuals in southeast Ohio through mobile clinics and an on-campus clinic. According to more than 90 percent of patients surveyed for the social return on investment report, without the clinics, they would have either delayed or not received any health care. Patients also felt better about their health because of the care they received and said that more of their basic needs were being met. The report found that the care provided by the clinic resulted in a value of more than $43 million in lives saved and chronic conditions properly managed.

“The work that the Heritage Community Clinic does, and the service they provide to the community is so impactful, so essential, and truly immeasurable,” said Jason Koma, executive director of Charitable Health Network, a non-profit organization supporting the work of the Heritage Community Clinic, as well as 56 other free clinics throughout Ohio. “But this puts a quantifiable measure on it that shows that without this work, Athens would be a much different place.”

Similar results were found in CHP’s other service areas, demonstrating that the health and education services that CHP has provided for more than 30 years have had a far-reaching impact on the entire community. The findings were compiled from surveys, administrative data and focus group interviews with stakeholders conducted in 2023.

“I’m extremely proud of the work the Community Health Programs team does, and grateful for the college’s support,” said Tracy Shaub, D.O., dean of Heritage College’s Athens campus. “The findings of this report are incredibly motivating, and I’m excited to see how we can continue to leverage more resources for our community.”