As a retired brigadier general, I have dedicated my career to service above self, truly living the mission of Holy Cross Health’s founding congregation, the Sisters of the Holy Cross, to serve vulnerable uninsured and underinsured patients. Montgomery County, where Holy Cross Health is based, is the most racially, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse county in the state.
Many of the patients we serve live with low incomes and experience the impact of poverty, which is why Holy Cross Health receives discounts on medicine from pharmaceutical manufacturers through a federal initiative known as the “340B drug discount program.”
Holy Cross Health is the only health system in Montgomery County to operate its own safety-net health centers, providing comprehensive primary care to approximately 10,000 low-income, uninsured individuals each year. These patients have access to specialty and behavioral health care, medications, assistance with social needs and case management. We provide free and reduced-cost health education to community members to help prevent or manage chronic conditions such as diabetes. We offer a Medical Adult Day Center program offering a safe, medically supervised day program for adults with dementia or developmental disabilities. And we engage in the community to mitigate the effects of social influences of health such as food and housing insecurity.
Holy Cross Health offers comprehensive, community-focused care essential to meet the diverse needs of those who have entrusted us with their well-being. Our services span the life cycle, from birth to end-of-life care, and are responsive to our community’s need for preventive, acute and chronic care. These discounts generate critical savings for our Ministry, allowing us to invest in meeting the care, programmatic, social, and service needs for the communities we serve. Achieving health care equity requires engaging with our community to break down barriers to high-quality, accessible, and comprehensive care.
Beyond that, for over 60 years ago, Holy Cross Health has grown to become a two-hospital regional health system with specialties in perinatal, cancer and neuroscience care and a network of 10 community-based care sites including physician practices, a cancer center, and outpatient dialysis. During the last five years, Holy Cross Health has provided more than $287 million in community benefit, including more than $174 million in financial assistance, reflecting Holy Cross Health’s core value of commitment to those who are experiencing poverty.
Our patients and our community rely on Holy Cross Health to provide these critical services, and Holy Cross Health relies on the 340B program. In turn, we use savings generated by the program to support our mission to be a compassionate and transforming healing presence within our community.
As providers of care, we are committed to service and the fulfillment of our mission every day.
Norvell “Van” Coots, M.D., is President & CEO of Holy Cross Health and President & CEO of the Maryland Region for Trinity Health. A retired Brigadier General, Dr. Coots is the former commanding general and CEO of Regional Health Command Europe, and command surgeon, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army. He has more than 20 years of executive experience in all aspects of health care management and medical administration.