Community Benefit
Cottage Health strives to create healthier communities by investing in community benefit programs. To determine where to focus our efforts, Cottage Health performs a community health needs assessment every three years.
The assessment uses self-reported information from local residents, input from community leaders, and findings from public health surveys. Find our latest needs assessments for Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital, and Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital:
2022 Community Health Needs Assessment
2019 Community Health Needs Assessment
2016 Community Health Needs Assessment
To address those needs, Cottage Health annually provides more than $140 million of services for the benefit of those who need it most. Find our most recent implementation strategy for Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital, and Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital:
2022 Implementation Strategy
2019 Implementation Strategy
2016 Implementation Strategy
Charity Care
The Charity Care and Community Service Programs provide financial assistance to patients who meet income-eligibility requirements. The Charity Care Program offers free or reduced-cost care for emergency services, while the Community Service Program provides free or reduced-cost care for non-emergent but medically necessary services.
Government Underpayment
Underpayment is the difference between the costs incurred and the reimbursement received for providing care to patients. Payment rates for Medicare and Medi-Cal are set by law. These rates are currently below the costs of providing care, resulting in underpayment to healthcare providers.
Health Education & Research
As a teaching hospital, we offer residencies in internal medicine, diagnostic radiology and general surgery. In addition, we provide ongoing financial support of nursing education through the Associate Degree Nurse program at Santa Barbara City College and the CSU Channel Islands Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
Benefits for Broader Community and Vulnerable Populations
Cottage Health provides free and reduced-cost programs for community wellness. These programs include health fairs, nutrition education, caregiver support, and adapted recreation and therapeutic activities. In addition, Cottage Health partners with local nonprofits to support their good work.
Cottage Health sponsors numerous events annually such as the Summit for Danny with the Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse and Go Red for Women with the American Heart Association. If your nonprofit is interested in a sponsorship, contact sponsorships@sbch.org.
Cottage Health provides annual partnership grants to local organizations that increase accessibility to health care in our community. If your nonprofit is interested in our grant program, learn more here: cottagehealth.org/grants
