Diakon serves more than 65,000 people in 2015; provides $18 million in charitable care

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (Tuesday March 22, 2016)

Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries and Diakon Child, Family & Community Ministries changed the lives of more than 65,000 people in 2015.

"That is a significant amount of service," says Mark Pile, president/CEO, "that also involved more than $16 million in capital spending, particularly focused on maintaining our Continuing Care Retirement Communities as market leaders; expansion or refinement of program emphases to serve the specific needs of children, youths and families in many regions of Pennsylvania and Maryland; and the achievement of numerous quality and clinical metrics."

The 2015 service, touching the lives of 65,446 children, youths, families, and adult individuals, included the provision of $18.2 million in charitable care.

"That's more than $1.5 million a month in service to people who might not otherwise be served," says Pile, "underscoring the importance of grants and donations to the two organizations."

Among key service statistics:

• More than 9,100 people were served by Diakon's senior living communities
• Nearly 13,000 older adults received assistance through Diakon Community Services
• More than 2,300 children, youths and families moved toward permanence in their lives as a result of foster care and adoption services
• Some 4,000 people received compassionate counseling through Diakon Family Life Services
• Nearly 3,300 young people, including many at-risk, were served by Diakon Youth Services.

Capital spending in 2015 also included significant investment in medical-records technology for Diakon Child, Family & Community Ministries programs, critical not only for tracking and measuring performance, but also, in some instances, to integration with key service networks.

In addition, Diakon Senior Living Services staff members established an aggressive series of goals including continuing gains in independent-living occupancy levels, further improvements in survey results and quality measures (which included one deficiency-free survey), successful management of transitions among levels of service and care and continuing integration with partnership networks and other health-care configurations.

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For further information, please contact:
William Swanger, M.A., APR
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries
(717) 795-0308
E-mail: swangerb@diakon.org