Barton Healthcare System

The Financial Assistance Program assists patients of Barton Memorial with their medical bills. It matches the patients' ability to pay according to their unique circumstance. Patients are asked to complete an application and provide financial information about their income to determine their ability to pay. The discount patients receive on their medical bill depends on their adjusted gross income compared with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services poverty income guidelines. The program is designed for those patients who cannot afford their medical bills. Barton Health provides discounts for those with incomes up to 400 percent of the most recent poverty income guidelines, and/or under special circumstances. During the current year this program provided over $7.7 million of gross charges in charity care.

The following programs are community outreach programs that benefit the health of Barton Health Lake Tahoe South Shore Community.Food Insecurity Program: In partnership with Whole Foods and Starbucks Barton picked up and distributed high quality perishable and non-perishable food up to four days a week to our community partners as well as directly to our most vulnerable community members throughout the first half of 2024. In the second half of 2024, we transferred the Starbucks food donation to The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless and the Whole Foods food donation to the food pantry, Christmas Cheer all Year. Staff also served on the Board of Directors for this pantry that provides food and basic needs to South Lake Tahoe's most vulnerable. Community Health Fair: Barton hosted a successful community health fair at Bijou Elementary School on October 17, 2024. Approximately 220 community members attended and received medical services and education, including blood pressure checks, CPR training, and Covered CA enrollment support, along with community-provided services including flu vaccines. Community Health Improvement Efforts: Barton partnered with ACCEL El Dorado County, a community-wide collaborative of public and private partners working together to improve the health and well-being of El Dorado County's vulnerable populations. Barton Health hosted the Community Health Advisory Committee (CHAC), a collaborative of representatives of various community agencies and community members that meet monthly to address emerging community health needs. Staff members also participated in the Community Behavioral Health Network meetings, community drug education meetings, and the Lake Tahoe Collaborative meetings. Barton staff met with community members at the South Tahoe Family Resource Center to better understand the real and perceived barriers that Latino community members face in receiving care. Staff served on the Board of Directors-of Encompass Youth, working to coordinate collaboration and communication to assure that Transitional Age Youth have the navigational support systems to create a path to stability and independence.Social Determinants of Health: Barton participated in the following community-based programs related to environmental factors that influence our community members' health and wellness.TRANSPORTATION: Barton staff served on the board of the South Shore Transit Management Association, which was a driving force in creating the first ever Microtransit program (LakeLink) that delivered free rides to over 175,000 community members in 2024. BUILT ENVIRONMENT: Hospital staff participated in the Tahoe Chamber of Commerce to address community health and safety issues.SUBSTANCE USE: Staff members participated in community efforts to address substance abuse prevention and education, including the Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids (TASK) whose mission is to prevent and reduce youth substance use and related harm, and El Dorado Coalition for Overdose Prevention and Education (COPE), whose mission is to build collaboratives to address the overdose epidemic in El Dorado County. A staff member served on the board of Mountain High Recovery Center, a non-profit organization with a mission to strengthen individuals, families, and communities through the education and treatment of substance use disorders.HEALTHCARE DISPARITY: Barton participated in monthly and/or quarterly town hall meetings with a leading Latino/Latina community advocate, The South Tahoe Family Resource Center to educate and inform on important topics of interest related to a myriad of social determinants of health.We have continued our collaboration with The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless to expedite appropriate care and decrease emergency department visits for those they serve. We also provided staff to assist with the annual Point in Time count and understanding community needs with ride-along activities.