Front Page  »  

Central Coast health care provider spending millions on football stadium

September 17, 2014

dignity-healthNonprofit hospital operator Dignity Health, which runs three care facilities on the Central Coast, is pouring money into the San Francisco 49ers’ new football stadium. [SF Gate]

Dignity Health purchased luxury suites, known as a skybox, at the recently opened Levi’s Stadium. Skyboxes at the new venue cost at least $2.5 million.

Additionally, Dignity Health obtained the status as the 49ers’ exclusive health-industry sponsor, and the stadium dons a feature called the “Dignity Health Plaza.”

Dignity Healthy is a San Francisco-based nonprofit public benefit corporation that operates hospitals in approximately 20 states. On the Central Coast, it owns French Hospital in San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande Community Hospital and Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria.

Like Dignity Health, Blue Shield of California, a nonprofit health plan provider, also purchased a skybox at Levi’s Stadium.

“It’s scandalous that two not-for-profit health care companies that are exempt from state taxes waste millions of dollars on luxury skyboxes rather than putting those charitable dollars toward patient care or lower premiums,” said Jamie Court of Consumer Watchdog.

Court’s organization is pushing a November ballot initiative, Proposition 45, that would require California health care companies to get approval from the state insurance commission before raising insurance rates.


Loading...
Subjects:                 
Related:


20 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

This is just one of the “special” projects they partake in. They are a big sponsor of Savor of the Central Coast as well as almost daily they donor to this cause or that cause, or give to this project or that.


They pay no Federal, State or local taxes like school tax, property taxes, etc. and their management, CEO of Dignity are paid enormous salaries. Non-profits fit into the corporation club.


This is our money (the patients) that are over billed. They are not non-profit, they are special profit.


0

Talk to a Management person at Marian. They’ll tell you thanks to the Obama Care funding bonanza, Non Profit Hospitals can’t spend all the money our Govt. is sending their way. Marian keeps opening neighborhood clinics under the plan, and the money given always exceeds the costs incurred. Meanwhile, For Profit Hospitals, and Private Practice MD’S are struggling. Money for Luxury Boxes? Only the tip of the iceberg has been uncovered. Follow the Obama Care money- it goes right back to Friends of Barry.


0

At least if you die in of their facilities, you can die with ”Dignity”.


0

Who insures the 49’er organization? Do the players get a special rate if they give a whooping to their spouse or child?


0

Disgusting!!!


0

Oh, come on…these type of investments help so many, in so many ways.

They help keep the cost of medical insurance at an affordable level ;-).

They allow the professional athlete make a decent living $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ ;-) :-)

They make it affordable for the typical family to enjoy a professional sporting event (average cost of family of four to see 49’er game: $650.00)

It allows the cheerleaders to be paid a whopping $50.00 per game.

I wonder if when sky box tickets are given out to prospective investors, if they are asked if they have a pre-exsiting condition…just curious.


0

This is typical of this fake non-profit. They overprice theirs services to patients. They are inefficient and rude to patients. They claim patients owe bills they don’t owe. And the executives don’t care. I know because I’ve tried to get them to straighten out years’ long billing errors, and they don’t even respond. What a joke. No dignity at Dignity. They’re just like the for-profit outfit across town.


0

I’ve been involved in the marketing and sponsorship world for over 20 years. I’m a non-49ers fan and really don’t like skyboxes as a marketing tool.


With that said, if Dignity Health and Blue Cross want to woo investors, advertisers, et al, this is one way of doing it. There’s a lot of people who don’t understand marketing, but this process is done in the business world all the time and whether you’re a for-profit company or not, you have to compete in the market place – sports is one way of doing it.


In other words, until the government takes complete control of healthcare – God save us when that happens – hospitals need to pursue advertising and marketing just like any other business.


Again, I just don’t think this is the most sound marketing concept to use.


0

great marketing concept (wink wink) take it to where all the injuries are


0

Baloney. These are non-profits. They don’t have “investors.” They are essentially health care monopolies who don’t have to compete to stay viable. Your reasoning is corrupt.


0

Well if Dignity Health is swimming in excess funds, maybe they should put their money where their mouth is and set up some funding and help with upgrades to the DeGroot Home. Do something good with their money like actually help the ones who need it the most. I know wishful thinking but someone has to think that way. Talk about Dignity. Their name is a sham if anything. JMO


0

They are helping the ones who need it the most, (in their minds), the execs who are 49ers fans and hate to sit among the common folks at games.


0

not common folk…peasants, ox carts and torches


0

Why should any non-profit be paying for its execs to go to football games in the first place? There’s a fundamental deception going on here about the term “non-profit.”


0

WHY would ANYONE give a negative ‘thumbs down’ to helping the DeGroot Home?


0

Obviously a mean-spirited, uncaring individual who’s first reaction is to thumbs down anything on CCN.


0

DeGroot Care Facility is not a non-profit, they make a very decent living in this operation. They are paid quite well by the private families who can afford it and by the Social Security/Medicare and the State for the wonderful care they provided to these special needs children.


They are a State regulated business and should like all businesses in this State that are regulated abide by the same rules as other care facilities. We can not go away and pick winners and losers just because we like them.


I applaud what they do but I feel they are obligated to follow the rules or change the rules. What if we liked one hospital better than the other and wanted exceptions for one over the other? Is that fair?


I do not understand the rise to fight. Either change the rules or assist, donate and help Ms. DeGroot to conform to the State regulations like everyone else. Period!


0
1 2