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The Hospital Community Benefit Program
Private not-for-profit hospitals assess community needs, develop plans to address priorities, and report on community benefits.
The Hospital Community Benefit Program (HCBP), is a result of legislation passed in 1994 (SB 697). The enabling legislation states that private not-for-profit hospitals "assume a social obligation to provide community benefits in the public interest" in exchange for their tax-exempt status.
Therefore, under the community benefit legislation, a private not-for-profit hospital in California is required to:
- Conduct a community needs assessment every three years
- Develop a community benefit plan in consultation with the community
- Annually submit a copy of its plan to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD)
To download an Excel file of those hospitals that have or are required to submit a community benefit plan, click here For each hospital, the file includes the OSHPD facility number, name, parent company, fiscal year end, report due date, date received, and extended due date, if applicable. Each reporting year appears as a separate worksheet.
In its 1998 Senate Bill 697 Report to the Legislature, OSHPD reported on the first round of hospital community benefit reporting, and presented recommendations for future community benefit planning and reporting. Overall, OSHPD found that the legislation encouraged hospitals to work collaboratively with community partners, and provided a conducive framework for meaningful contributions by not-for-profit hospitals.
OSHPD is the equivalent of the "public library" for private, non-profit hospitals' community benefit plans. The following units within OSHPD are involved in handling the plans and related issues:
- Healthcare Information
Division
Receives the plans and works with other units and stakeholders to develop standardized reporting formats. A draft Planners Guide is available to assist hospital staff in developing a community benefit plan. - Healthcare Information Resource Center
Handles public requests for copies of the community benefit plans. - Healthcare Quality and Analysis Division Responsible for conducting policy analysis on unresolved issues.
- Healthcare Workforce Development Division
Responsible for working with the Healthcare Information Division in synthesizing information made available through the community needs assessment process and distributing it to local entities in their community capacity building efforts.
For additional information, see the HCBP FAQs. For questions about the Hospital Community Benefits Program, contact:
Pat Burritt
Accounting and Reporting Systems Section
400 R Street, Room 250
Sacramento, CA 95811-6213
(916) 326-3855