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Screaming Eagles edged by Panthers in final seconds

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Screaming Eagles edged by Panthers in final seconds

CHARLESTON, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball squared off against Ohio Valley Conference-leading Eastern Illinois University on the road Saturday afternoon, but a scrappy battle that went down to the final seconds went in favor of Eastern Illinois at the final buzzer, 51-49.

Southern Indiana looked to hand Eastern Illinois its first blemish in OVC play during Saturday’s defensive, physical contest. With the result, USI moved to 15-6 overall and into a tie for third in the conference standings at 7-3. The Panthers improved to 13-6 on the season and 10-0 in the OVC, remaining atop the league table.

Following an up-tempo defensive start to the contest, USI scored the game’s first points after two minutes of action. The two defenses produced a set of scoreless droughts in the middle of the first. Sophomore forward Chloe Gannon provided a quick spark off the bench with two inside conversions to give Southern Indiana a 6-4 lead seven minutes into the game. With just over a minute remaining in the opening quarter, senior guard Vanessa Shafford swished in a straightaway triple for her 200th career three-pointer, which put the Screaming Eagles ahead 10-8 after the first 10 minutes.

The relentless pressure on both ends of the court did not disappear in the second quarter. In the middle of the period, the Panthers went on a 9-0 run to surge ahead, 20-12. At the four-minute mark, the Eagles pulled within four, 20-16, after junior guard Ali Saunders drained a mid-range jumper. Eastern Illinois answered with four points before USI and graduate forward Madi Webb scored inside the final minute for the last basket of the first half. Eastern Illinois led 24-18 at halftime.

Eastern Illinois quickly scored twice out of halftime to go up by 10, but then the Screaming Eagles grabbed momentum. Shafford instilled her presence by scoring 10 straight points in the first three minutes of the second half for Southern Indiana, bringing the Eagles within two, 30-28. Seconds later, a trey from sophomore guard Sophia Loden flipped USI back in front, 31-30. The Panthers went back ahead by six later in the third, but Saunders delivered with a bucket to make the score 42-38 in favor of EIU through three quarters.

The fourth frame began with three and a half minutes of scoreless basketball. Then the two teams exchanged baskets across five possessions as Eastern Illinois built back up a six-point lead, 48-42, at the 5:30 mark. A Shafford layup and makes at the free-throw line over the next four minutes helped USI climb back to tie and then take the lead, 49-48, with just over 30 seconds left on the clock. However, Eastern Illinois drew a three-point play and capitalized at the stripe to retake the lead by two, 51-49. USI’s last-second effort to answer would not fall.

Southern Indiana was just under 33 percent (18-55) shooting and 22 percent (4-18) from beyond the arc. USI went 9-13 for just over 69 percent at the foul line. The Eagles outrebounded the Panthers 39-34. Shafford paced USI with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Eastern Illinois shot the ball for 37 percent (20-54) overall but was limited to 15 percent (2-13) from long range. The Panthers were 9-11 for above 81 percent at the free-throw stripe. Senior forward Macy McGlone paced Eastern Illinois with 22 points and 16 boards for her 11th double-double this season.

The Screaming Eagles’ three-game road trip wraps up Tuesday at Morehead State University, as USI will play its third road game in six days. Tuesday’s tilt tips off at 4 p.m. CT from Morehead, Kentucky. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM.

Cuff’s career game lifts Aces past Beacons

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Cuff’s career game lifts Aces past Beacons

Aces take 78-68 road win at Valparaiso

VALPARAISO, Ind. – Tanner Cuff scored a career-high 22 points to lead the University of Evansville men’s basketball team to a 78-68 road victory over Valparaiso at the ARC.

Cuff was 8-for-12 from the field on the way to his career game.  His previous scoring high of 18 points came earlier this season against Chattanooga.  Just behind Cuff was Gabriel Pozzato who finished with 21 points.  Both led the Purple Aces with seven boards.  Tayshawn Comer completed the game with 17 points while Connor Turnbull reached double figures once again with 11.  He matched his career mark with six blocked shots.

“We stayed with the plan and did what we needed to do to come away with the win.  I am proud of our guys for how they battled from start to finish,” Evansville head coach David Ragland said.  “The way we practiced yesterday really set the tone for today.  Our guys brought intensity and focus that carried over into the game.”

Shooting 66.7% in the first half, the Purple Aces found themselves up by 18 at the break. Gabriel Pozzato found Tanner Cuff for the first basket of the game with Valpo taking its first lead with four in a row.  Tayshawn Comer found Connor Turnbull for a basket to put the Aces back in front before Comer hit from downtown to give UE an 11-6 lead five minutes into the game.

At the 12:45 mark, a dunk by the Beacons cut the UE lead to 17-16 before Comer responded with a layup to cap an 8-of-11 start from the field.  As the clock moved under eight minutes to play in the first half, it was Comer knocking down his third 3-pointer of the day to push the lead to eight points at 29-21.

Evansville’s largest run came in the late stages of the period.  Up 30-23 with 7:14 remaining until halftime, UE outscored Valpo by a 14-2 margin to take its largest lead at 44-25.  Turnbull had a putback dunk during the stretch while Kaia Berridge and Comer added triples to expand the advantage.  Valparaiso hit a free throw in its final possession to make it a 44-26 at halftime.

In the first possession of the second half, Pozzato’s third triples of the day gave the Aces their first 20-point lead at 47-26.  With 13 minutes remaining, a triple by Tanner Cuff expanded the UE advantage to a game-high 22 points at 62-40.  The Beacons countered over the next three minutes, posting nine points in a row to cut the deficit to 13.  Comer and Pozzato connected on field goals to prevent the Beacons from getting closer at the lead stood at 66-49 entering the final eight minutes of the game.

The lead for UE went back up to 20 points inside of the 7-minute mark (72-52) before Valpo fought back once again.  With under two minutes remaining, the Beacons stormed back to make it a 10-point game and threatened to get even closer, but a huge make by Turnbull ended the stretch and the Aces came out on top by a final of 78-68.  One play that did not make the scoresheet was by Tanner Cuff.  After the Beacons got within ten, he drew a charge on what would have been a made basket by Valpo.  Instead, UE got the possession and added to its lead.

After shooting 66.7% in the first half, the Aces completed the game at 58.0% while holding the Beacons to 38.6%.  Valparaiso had a 36-31 advantage on the glass.  Cooper Schwieger, All Wright, and Tyler Schmidt led Valpo with 13 points apiece.  On Wednesday, the Aces return home to face Murray State in a 7 p.m. game at the Ford Center.

-www.GoPurpleAces.com-

Screaming Eagles hold on to defeat Panthers, 64-60

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Screaming Eagles hold on to defeat Panthers, 64-60
USI has won three of its last four

CHARLESTON, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball held off a second half surge by Eastern Illinois University to post a 64-60 win Saturday afternoon in Charleston, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles are 9-11 overall and 4-6 in OVC action, while the Panthers go to 5-15, 1-8 OVC.

USI spotted EIU a 7-0 lead to start the game before the Eagles’ sophomore forward Stephen Olowoniyi posted a basket to cut the deficit to 7-2. The Panthers would get their lead to eight points, 10-2, before the Eagles started to close the gap.

The Eagles’ deficit shrank to three points, 12-9, on a bucket by junior guard Jayland Randall with 13:22 on the clock. USI continued its push to a 15-13 lead after a three-point bomb by junior guard Braxton Jones capped off a 13-3 run at 9:51. Jones finished the half with a team-high six points on a pair of three-pointers.

The USI lead would continue to grow to 14 points, 30-16, with a 15-1 run and a shutdown defense that held EIU without a bucket for over 10 minutes (13:02-2:48). The Eagles finished the opening half with an 11-point margin, 30-19.

The 19 points by EIU was the first time USI had held an opponent under 20 points in a half since January 14, 2012 when it held Rockhurst University to 17 points in the first half and 14 points in the second.

The second half started with USI having the hot hand, hitting five-of-six from the field and increasing the halftime margin to 16 points, 42-26. The margin would grow to 20-points, 46-26, on a modest 9-0 run that saw the USI defense hold EIU without a point for another 5:37 (17:21 to 11:44).

EIU would make a push with a 13-4 run midway through the final half, cutting the USI advantage to 11 points, 50-39, with 6:21 to play. The Eagles pushed the lead back to 13 points, 57-43, but the Panthers clawed their way back to within four points with seven seconds left before USI could close out the 64-60 win.

Olowoniyi led the Eagles in the scoring column with 13 points. The sophomore forward was six-of-10 from the field and one-of-two from the stripe. Junior guard Sam Kodi and Jones followed Olowoniyi with nine points each.

Next Up For USI:
The final game of the three-game road swing is Tuesday when USI travels to Morehead, Kentucky, to face Morehead State University. Start time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (CST).

The MSU Eagles are 13-8 and an OVC-best 8-2 in the league after falling on the road to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 65-54, Saturday. Morehead State has won five of six games and 10 of the last 12.

Morehead State extended its all-time series lead over USI to 4-1 after winning at Liberty Arena, 70-68. USI junior guard Damoni Harrison led USI with a game-high 24 points, while junior guard Braxton Jones came off the bench to score 20.

The next home game for USI at Liberty Arena is February 1 when it starts a three-game homestand by hosting Tennessee Tech University. Tickets for the homestand and all USI home dates are on sale now at USIScreamingEagles.com.

Women’s golf travels to Lady Bulldog Invitational

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – On Monday and Tuesday, the University of Evansville women’s golf team will host the annual Charles Braun Intercollegiate at Oak Meadow Country Club.

The 36-hole tournament will feature 18 holes on each day with a shotgun start opening each day at 10 a.m.  Par is set for 72.

Participating teams include Bellarmine, Belmont, Chicago State, Eastern Illinois, Evansville, UIC, Indian Hills CC, Indiana State, Lindenwood, Oakland, Purdue Fort Wayne, Southern Indiana, and Valparaiso.

UE faced USI in match play on Thursday at Cambridge Golf Course with the Purple Aces taking the victory.  Individually, Louise Standtke and Kate Petrova each picked up victories.  Standtke was up four with three holes left while Petrova earned a 7&6 decision.  Elizabeth Mercer finished 1UP against Fernanda Vera while Trinity Dubbs completed her day up eight with six holes remaining.

Malllory Russell, Adeline Wittmer and Izzy Steele each halved in their respective competitions.

USI Track & Field clocks three top-5 performances

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Hall, Peals pace USI women at Bellarmine Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Juniors Ellie Hall and Micah Peals posted top-five finishes Friday to lead University of Southern Indiana Track & Field at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic.

Hall was third in the 800 meters with a time of two minutes, 21.97 seconds, while Peals finished fifth in the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:38.19. Hall’s 800-meter time puts her sixth on the Ohio Valley Conference performance list and is the third event that she has posted a top-10 time in this season—she also ranks second in the OVC in the 3,000 meters and fourth in the mile this season.

Freshman Hadessah Austin was seventh in the 800 meters, while sophomores Sara Livingston and Zoe Seward were sixth and seventh, respectively in the mile.

Senior Katie Winkler and sophomore Ahmira Pickett rounded out USI’s top-10 finishers. Winkler was sixth in the 3,000 meters while Pickett carded a 10th-place showing in the mile.

The Screaming Eagles return to Louisville and the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center next week when they compete in the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational January 31-February 1.


Men’s Track & Field  Dan McDonnell, USI Athletic Communications

Zimmerman highlights USI men’s efforts at Bellarmine

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Sophomore Tyler Zimmerman posted a top-five finish Friday to lead University of Southern Indiana Men’s Track & Field at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic.

Zimmerman clocked a personal-best time of eight minutes, 41.52 seconds in the 3,000 meters and was fourth in the 53-competitor field.

The finish was one of three top-10 placements for the Screaming Eagles Friday. Junior Landen Swiney was 10th in the 3,000-meters with a personal-best time of 8:47.77, while freshman Zach Wells carded a 10th-place finish in the mile with a time of 4:21.18.

USI returns to Louisville and the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center next week when they compete in the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational January 31-February 1.

Felton III and Rodriguez set new program records at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic

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Felton III and Rodriguez set new program records at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic
The Purple Aces had 12 personal records on Friday
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Evansville track and field team broke two program records while having four podium finishes at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic.
After over a month away from competition the Purple Aces returned to action in the Bluegrass State at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic. Sophomore sprinter Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS) and sophomore runner Rafael Rodriguez (Segovia, Spain) broke program records set in 2024 on Friday. Along with the two new records, UE had 12 PRs through 18 events at the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center.
SPRINTS & HURDLES
Evansville had a big day in sprint events as the team began the meet with a PR from Felton III in the 60m dash. With a time of 6.88 seconds in both his qualifying heat and the final, Felton picked up the Aces’ first podium finish of the day in second place. UE continued its strong sprints day with a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter race for sophomore Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) with a time of 58.22 seconds. Freshman Clara Kelty (Louisville, Ky. / Presentation Academy) also competed in the 400-meter race with a time of 1:10.53.
Evansville’s final individual sprint event of the day was the men’s and women’s 200 meters. Felton III had the Aces only first-place finish in the 200-meter race with a program record time of 21.55 seconds. Along with setting a program record, Felton’s time was the 100th fastest in Division I this season. Freshman sprinter Myles Terry (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) also placed in the top 10 in the 200 meters with a time of 22.3 seconds. In the women’s 200-meter race, Johnson placed sixth with a time of 25.51 seconds while Kate Walke (Batesville, Ind. / Oldenburg Academy) had a PR at 28.75 seconds.
UE ended the day on the track with the men’s 4×400 meter relay. Evansville’s relay team set a season-best with a time of 3:27.61 to place fourth. The Aces relay team consisted of Connor Shin, Kaiden McAllister, Woody Burrell, and Jakub Nowicki. Walke had UE’s only hurdle event of the day, running the 60-meter hurdles in 9.63 seconds for a Top 10 finish.
MID-DISTANCE & DISTANCE
Evansville’s first distance race of the day was a PR for sophomore Avery Stephens (Newburg, Ind. / Castle HS) in the 3,000-meter race. Stephens ran the 3,000 in 10:41.40 for an eighth-place finish. The Aces then ran their first mid-distance event with the men’s and women’s 800-meter race.
On the men’s side sophomore Owen Cuplin (Hampshire, Ill. / Hampshire HS) ran a PR of 1:57.62 for 10th place. Also finishing in the men’s race was freshman Vincent Filipek (Northville, Mich. / Northville HS) in 2:02.25 and sophomore Alejandro Navarrete (Mogadore, Ohio / Mogadore HS) in 2:10.04. In the women’s race sophomore Chase Hayes (Noblesville, Ind. / Western HS) and senior Hannah Bryan (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) both set PRs at 2:26.16 and 2:33.21 for 11th and 27th place. Freshman Rebekah Sachs also finished the 800-meter in 2:35.98.
UE had 10 runners between the men’s and women’s mile on Friday. In the men’s mile, three separate runners set PRs with two Top 10 finishes. Sophomore Tommaso Losma (Lombardia, Italy) had Evansville’s highest finish at third with a time of 4:17.44. Senior Adam Oulgout (St. Paul, Minn. / Central HS) was close behind in sixth with a PR of 4:18.43. Sophomore Woody Burrell (Cedarburg, Wis. / Cedarburg HS) also set a PR in the mile with a time of 4:27.79.
The Aces had four other runners finish the men’s mile freshman Andrew Potter (Warsaw, Ind. / Warsaw Community HS) with a time of 4:33.82, Filipek (4:38.54), freshman Oliver Wilgocki (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton HS) with a time of 4:43.41, and McAllister (4:45.12). In the women’s race sophomore Kyndall Anthis (Pakota, Ind. / Princeton Community HS) had the fastest time at 5:42.32 followed by freshmen Lauren Bradley (Russiaville, Ind. / Western HS) with a time of 5:43.54 and Skylar Dickenson (Brownsburg, Ind. / Brownsburg HS) with a time of 5:48.35.
UE’s final distance race was the team’s other program record of the day. Rodriguez broke the record set by teammate Samuel Lea in the 3,000-meter race by over five seconds. Rodriguez placed second in the race setting a new PR of 8:18.50.
JUMPS
Senior jumper Antuwan Powell (Ringgold, Ga. / Heritage HS) made his return to jumps after a year focused on the track in 2024. In his season debut, Powell set a new PR in the long jump at 5.94 meters. Powell’s first indoor long jump was good for ninth place in the event.
THROWS
Freshman thrower Emma Bertel (Franklin, Ind. / Franklin Community HS) had Evansville’s best result in the field, placing eight in the women’s shot put at 10.50 meters. One Aces thrower had a PR as freshman Beau Baldwin (Mt. Vernon HS) threw 11.18 meters in the men’s weight throw. Senior Kaitlyn Sansone (Fairfield, Ohio / Mercy McAuley HS) had a season-best on Friday in the women’s shot put at 8.77 meters.
UP NEXT
UE will have its first out-of-state meet when the team travels to Birmingham, Alabama. Evansville will compete in two meets over the weekend while in the Magic City in early March. The Aces will first compete in the UAB Vulcan Invite on Friday, February 7 followed by the UAB Green and Gold Invite on Saturday, February 8.

Second half comeback not enough for UE women’s basketball at Belmont

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Second half comeback not enough for UE women’s basketball at Belmont
The Purple Aces eclipsed the 60-point mark for the second game in a row
NASHVILLE – Despite a strong second half on the floor the University of Evansville women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome the red-hot Belmont Bruins.
A cold first half on offense kept the Purple Aces behind in their 90-65 loss to Belmont on Friday night. UE improved its scoring by over 20% in the second half against the Bruins, pouring in 24 points in the final 10 minutes. Sophomore forward Maggie Hartwig (Sauk City, Wis. / Sauk Prairie HS) led Evansville on offense with her first 20-point performance in over a month.
The Aces had their first basket of the night just over a minute into the game. But it’d be three minutes before UE scored again as Belmont lept out to an early nine-point lead. Evansville put together a brief four-point run to get within five points. That would be the closest the Aces would get to the Bruins as Belmont ended the first quarter on a 15-2 run.
UE’s offensive woes continued in the second quarter as they didn’t find the basket until two minutes in. Evansville traded baskets with the Bruins for two minutes early in the quarter. But another big run to end the half from Belmont had the Aces facing a 28-point deficit after 20 minutes of action.
The Bruins pushed their lead out to 32 points early in the third quarter. UE was able to work inside the lane in the third quarter with three field goals in the first four minutes. Belmont responded with an eight-point run to take its largest lead of the game at 40. Evansville’s defense went to work keeping the Bruins scoreless from the floor for the next two minutes as the offense added eight points. In the final minute of the third, the Aces added five straight points to make it a 71-41 game.
UE had its best quarter of the night in the fourth, making seven field goals and six free throws. Evansville got to the line early as Hartwig added two within the first 15 seconds of the quarter. Belmont matched with free throws and a layup of their own. But the Aces were able to respond with a four-point run as senior guard Júlia Palomo (La Seu d’Urgell, Spain) hit her first three of the game.
The two teams went basket for basket over the next minute and a half. UE put together its best run of the game with seven straight points halfway into the fourth to bring the deficit down to 22. But Evansville was unable to string another run in the final five minutes of the game, falling to the Bruins 90-65.
Four Aces were in double figures on Friday including Hartwig (20), Palomo (11), and freshman guards Avery Kelley (13) and Camryn Runner (10). On defense, Hartwig and freshman Elle Snyder (Latrobe, Penn. / Greater Latrobe HS) had six rebounds apiece while Palomo recorded UE’s only block.
Evansville continues its road trip to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference on Sunday. The Aces will play one of the top five offenses in the country in the Murray State Racers. Tip-off from CFSB Arena on Sunday, January 26 is set for 2 p.m.

CECI, VESALAINEN SHINE IN 2-1 THUNDERBOLTS WIN OVER ICE FLYERS

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CECI, VESALAINEN SHINE IN 2-1 THUNDERBOLTS WIN OVER ICE FLYERS
 
Evansville, In.:  Behind outstanding goaltending from Cole Ceci and two clutch goals from Vili Vesalainen, the Thunderbolts secured a 2-1 win over the Pensacola Ice Flyers in front of over 4,100 fans at Ford Center on Friday night. The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Saturday, January 25th against the Pensacola Ice Flyers at 7:05pm CT.
                The first period featured no goals or power plays, but did feature a solid middleweight fight at center ice between Evansville’s Bronson Adams and Pensacola’s Sam Dabrowski.  The Thunderbolts did put the puck in the net late in the period as Vesalainen stormed the crease, however the goal was waived off due to incidental contact with Pensacola goaltender Brody Claeys.  Vesalainen found the back of the net once again in the second period, with a power play goal from Matthew Hobbs at 3:01 to put Evansville ahead officially, 1-0.  Despite facing a barrage of 15 shots on goal and several high quality opportunities in the second period, Ceci continued to stand tall to keep Pensacola at bay.  4:16 into the third period, Vesalainen struck again to extend the Thunderbolts lead to 2-0, tucking the puck around Claeys and inside the post, assisted by Nolan McElhaney and Cameron MacPhee.  With only 2 seconds remaining, Houston Wilson scored for Pensacola to spoil Ceci’s shutout, resulting in a 2-1 final, a victory regardless.
                Vesalainen scored both Evansville goals while Cole Ceci finished with 37 saves on 38 shots on goal for his 8th win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Ice Flyers meet again on Saturday, January 25th at Ford Center, face-off set for 7:05pm CT.
Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for the 2024-25 season.  Season tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now.  Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.
About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts is the area’s only professional hockey team. The Thunderbolts are a proud member of the SPHL.  The team is owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C, a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc. www.evansvillethunderbolts.com

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

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Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

Booked Last 24 Hours-Public

Report: Indiana Nonprofit Hospitals Deliver $3.9B Billion in Total Benefits to their Communities 

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Report: Indiana Nonprofit Hospitals Deliver $3.9B Billion in Total Benefits to Their Communities  Investment in communities exceeds the value of tax exemptions by $2.3B Billion.

 
Jan. 24, 2025 (INDIANAPOLIS) — A new report by the international accounting firm EY shows that Indiana’s nonprofit hospitals provided $3.9 billion in total benefits to their communities in 2022 – nearly two and a half times, or $2.3 billion more than the value of their tax exemptions, which totaled $1.6 billion in 2022, the most recent year for which comprehensive data is available.
 
As part of their charitable missions, Indiana’s nonprofit hospitals provide numerous programs to meet the needs of their patients and communities, including financial assistance, charity care, health screenings, transportation, chronic disease management, nutrition assistance, school-based services, training the next generation of health professionals, and more.
 
“Indiana hospitals are focused on their mission of not only providing high-quality care to patients, but on serving the needs of their entire communities,” said Scott B. Tittle, president of the Indiana Hospital Association. “This report is a testament to the broad range of services our members provide outside the four walls of the hospital to improve the health of Hoosiers and the communities they serve.”
 
According to the report, total benefits Indiana’s nonprofit hospitals provided to their communities, including non-traditional community benefits, such as bad debt attributable to financial assistance and Medicare cost shortfalls averaged 15% of their annual expenses. Almost 7% of these expenses, totaling nearly $1.8 billion, was dedicated to providing free or discounted care to underprivileged Hoosier patients.
 
“As lawmakers consider proposed changes to the nonprofit status of Indiana hospitals, this report demonstrates that these vital services are more than a worthy investment and that hospitals are fulfilling their charitable missions,” said Tittle.