A 437-bed hospital, JHBMC is located in the heart of the East Baltimore community and has been caring for Baltimore residents for 250 years. The 130-acre medical campus is home to several centers of excellence including the Johns Hopkins Regional Burn Center, the Stroke Center, Memory and Alzheimer’s Center and the Lung Cancer Program. JHBMC continues to be an integral part of East Baltimore and is dedicated to community involvement.

A disproportionate share of low-income, uninsured and Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries residing in our service area seek treatment at JHBMC. The 340B program helps JHBMC offset losses incurred in caring for the most vulnerable and underserved in our community. In FY23, the hospital’s disproportionate share (DSH) percentage was 20.79%, well above the 11.75% to qualify for 340B drug discounts. A key benefit of the 340B program is that by leveraging access to discounted outpatient drugs, JHBMC is better able to absorb the double-digit inflation rates and rapidly rising cost of drugs each year.

The Community We Serve

In Fiscal Year 24, our hospital conducted a community health needs assessment (CHNA) to identify the most important health priorities in our neighboring communities and developed an implementation strategy to address them. Access to care and support services particularly addressing mental health challenges, access to employment opportunities, neighborhood safety and lack of safe, affordable housing topped the list of priorities. Residents and community representatives contributed via surveys, focus groups, stakeholder interviews and community conversations. See the most recent Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) for a community snapshot, CHNA findings, strategic partnerships, community initiatives and economic development projects on the horizon.

JHBMC’s FY23 340B savings of $30 million are far less than the hospital’s total Community Benefit activity in FY23 – an estimated $105 million. For many years, the hospital has invested in programming and community support efforts well over and above the savings it receives from the 340B program.

Investing in Our Community

340B provides eligible hospitals with the financial flexibility needed to invest in tailored solutions that address the unique needs of their communities. If the program were eliminated or scaled back, safety net hospitals nationwide, like 340B-eligible hospitals in the Johns Hopkins Health System, would struggle to maintain long-standing vital community partnerships.

Examples of Innovative Community Outreach Programs at Johns Hopkins Bayview:

• Congregational Depression Awareness Program (CDAP): This program trains volunteers from local faith communities to provide education and resources for individuals directly and indirectly impacted by depression.
• Medicine for the Greater Good (MGG): Formally established in 2013 at Johns Hopkins Bayview, MGG is an initiative and curriculum that trains and educates medical residents in bridging the gap in health disparities between the hospital and the community. MGG volunteers work with schools, churches and community centers to promote good health practices, such as discussions about diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer screening.
• Comprehensive Care Practice (CCP): A full range of primary care services focusing on patients fighting dependence on drugs or alcohol annually serving more than 6,000 people, many of whom have been sober or off drugs for years, rely on the practice for routine medical care.
• Interventions for Individuals Experiencing Substance Use Disorders and Housing Insecurity: Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center’s collaborative relationship with a local faith-based residential therapeutic community offers support for individuals experiencing substance use disorders and housing insecurity.
• Trauma and Burn Care: Housing Maryland’s only regional adult burn center and a designated level II trauma center. Under this designation, a team of world-class specialists provide comprehensive, family-centered care.
• Community CPR and ‘Stop the Bleed’ Classes: CPR and ‘Stop the Bleed’ classes are offered in the community to equip and empower bystanders to help in a bleeding or cardiac emergency. The initiative gathers health professionals to teach the course to high school students, church members and non-profit/housing organizations. A new effort is extending Stop the Bleed training to State Highway Administration employees.

Johns Hopkins is committed to listening and learning from the community residents we serve. We strive to address their most pressing needs and highest priorities through direct initiatives and leveraged partnerships to improve community health and wellness in our closest neighborhoods.

Read more about our Health System’s continued commitment to community at each of its six hospitals.