Trends in non-profit hospitals’ investments in community environmental improvements in New Jersey, 2010-2018

Healthcare organizations play a vital role in addressing the health needs of their service areas, including those of environmental degradation. In 2010, environmental improvements were added as an expenditures category for “community building” on the non-profit hospital tax form. In this report, we identified and analyzed 36 non-profit hospital organizations in New Jersey with complete data from fiscal years 2010 to 2018 using the Community Benefits Insight Hospital Data Set. Between 5.3-15.9% of hospital entities reported any environmental improvement expenses averaging $45,395 and accounting for 0.00021% to 0.0017% of hospital operating expenses. The average statewide annual environmental improvements expenses were $204,959. Few hospitals reported environmental improvement expenses and there was no increase in expenditure over time. Given the increasing awareness for environmental determinants of health, tax and other incentives may be a way to stimulate investment in mitigation of environmental hazards to the community.