Why give to Christ House?
The patients at Christ House have tremendous need. We served 230 individuals in 2009. Many patients need our care more than once, so we served 289 admissions that year and provided a total of 9,009 patient-days of care. Approximately 50 percent of our patients were diagnosed with hypertension, 28 percent with diabetes, 13 percent with HIV or AIDS, and 11 percent with cancer. The majority had more than one diagnosis of chronic or acute illness. We also cared for patients with amputations, hepatitis, tuberculosis, fractures and concussions, and innumerable other illnesses. Two-thirds of our patients came in wheel chairs, walkers, or crutches.
In addition to the primary illness(es) for which they were admitted, 90.5 percent of our patients in 2009 acknowledged a history of alcohol or drug abuse, or had a diagnosed mental illness. Twenty-four percent had all three (alcohol, drug, and psychiatric concerns). We also witnessed growth in the number of newly-released prisoners who became homeless and sick. Seventy-five percent of our patients in 2009 were African American males over the age of 50, and 31 percent were veterans of the armed forces. Nearly a third had no income and 64 percent had monthly income under $1,000.
Christ House is cost effective. According to the United States Department of Health & Human Services, a stay in a hospital in the Northeast in 2008 (the most recent year available) lasted an average of 5.1 days and cost $9,612, or $1,885 per day. The average charges for that stay were $31,885, or $6,252 per day. These costs and charges do not include the fees that individual doctors and other specialists charge. Christ House served 307 admissions in 2008 and provided 9,905 patient days of care at the cost of only $290 per patient day!
It's personally rewarding. Anyone who gives financial, material, or volunteer gifts to Christ House will tell you they receive far more than they give. It is fulfilling to get to know our patients and to witness the miraculous healing that takes place in their lives.
The moral imperative. Many people who are enriched by the religious traditions believe they are called to serve and to give because they are blessed. Christ House has relationships with individuals and congregations in the Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim traditions. Likewise, a large number of secularists believe they are ethically compelled to provide for the needs of the less fortunate members of our society through their support of our mission of caring for the sick and homeless. Regardless of one's philosophical perspective, caring for those in need is the right thing to do.