Facing hard times, Shriners may close 6 hospitals

http://news.yahoo.com ^ | 4/9/09 | Katrina Goggins

[personalaccts]

Facing hard times, Shriners may close 6 hospitals Buzz Up Send By KATRINA A. GOGGINS, Associated Press Writer Katrina A. Goggins, Associated Press Writer – Thu Apr 9, 7:03 pm ET GREENVILLE, S.C. – Shriners hospitals, which have provided free care since before the Great Depression, are considering closing a quarter of their facilities as donations stagnate, costs increase and the charity's endowment shrivels. The group's director says it's the only viable option. Officials at the Florida-based organization say it is siphoning $1 million a day from its endowment to balance the budget for 22 hospitals in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Meanwhile, they say, that fund has fallen to $5 billion from $8 billion in less than a year because of the sputtering stock market and a charitable giving slump that has hurt philanthropies nationwide. The fund has been declining since 2001. The group will vote this summer on the closures.

[personalaccts]

Sad

[johniegrad]

Health care is a tough, tough business to be in right now. Although it is better than making cars.

[driftdiver]

And yet acorn got $6 BILLION

its a cryin shame

[Marie2]

They aren’t really in “business.” They do employ people, but relay on donations to run things. No charge to the patients.

[knarf]

Now THIS is depressing.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Wow. If the Shriners are running out of money, we’re all screwed. :(

[Gator113]

Yes, that is sad.

Expect it to get much worse now that the dems will not allow charitable tax deductions.

Of course, those that would have been in these hospitals will overcrowd our already taxed hospitals, and degrade the care that others are paying for.

Obama is failing at everything, absolutely everything.

[johniegrad]

Correct. But they have to rely on business models to pay for supplies, professional charges, staffing expenses, pharmaceuticals, etc. Regardless of the source of funding they face the same expenses.

Huge multispecialty groups and integrated health care systems are hoping for 1% margins and many are having to abandon expansion plans due to expenses.

National health care will not fix this situation.

[personalaccts]

If the Shriners had to take gov’t money they would have to kill children in order to keep it. We know the “liberals” love death.

[freekitty]

Thanks Obama for not helping the children.

[Kandy Atz]

And Obama wants to kill the charitable tax benefit.

Here is the answer to reducing medical/education/welfare expenditures by the government, let more people keep their money. America is the most charitable nation in the world. We will not allow anyone who is truly in need to do without.

The private sector including charities and churches will fill the void if government were restrained to their proper Constitutional role.

[napscoordinator]

I would rather the government help these hospitals rather than all the bus load of money they are giving to other crap.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Shriners will grow in numbers again in a future year. Their numbers wax and wain but they have always been known for being generous.
In 1951 or so, when my dad's lodge in Tokyo was made aware of an orphanage in rural Japan that was in need of a patron, the entire lodge gathered money and foodstuffs several times each year to keep the place going.
The orphanage was unique; it was made up of old men and women who had lost their sons in the war and thus had no extended family to fall back on, as is typical in Japan.
The Lodge was almost exclusively made up of the men who had been on the other side, yet they opened their hearts to this little community.

[LostInBayport]

Here is the answer to reducing medical/education/welfare expenditures by the government, let more people keep their money. America is the most charitable nation in the world. We will not allow anyone who is truly in need to do without.

But therein lies the problem in the eyes of Obama and the other elitist socialists. The money would not go to the "right" causes. Best that government decide the worthiness of charities.

Shriners, Salvation Army and causes for soldiers and their families? "No, not good", says Obama. Planned Parenthood, ACORN and the Home for Undocumented Transgendered Communist Welfare Leeches? "Good", says Obama.

On a serious note, I am truly sad about the Shriners. I'm going to scrape together a donation...depending on the news I get from the accountant next week (in other words, do I have to pay MORE to the U.S. Treasury or not).

[Marie2]

“National health care will not fix this situation.”

National health care does nothing for people in the long run except make them die earlier and more painfully.

[genghis]

Who would have thought , if you force people to offer services for free, that sometimes they go out of business. this is just a shock.

[reagan_fanatic]

My Son was born without his left arm up to the elbow. We were devastated, but the Shriners and their Hospital in Chicago helped us with free check-ups and no-charge prothstetics up until he was 18 years old - services which would have cost us thousands otherwise.

This is very sad news indeed :(

[antceecee]

Shriners have provided much needed services to those in need for many many years.
They are not equivalent to government give aways.

[antceecee]

My Father in Law is a true hero, WWII Vet and a Shriner who has worked tirelessly since the mid 1940’s to raise money to support Shriners Hospitals.
He told us last year how sad he was about the lack of funding for their mission.
I pray that somehow Shriners can save a part of their program and hopefully build it back in the future, God willing.