Good Samaritan Hospice of Pittsburgh

What it reported doing in 2024

Good Samaritan Hospice (GSH) remains dedicated to excellent patient/family care, ethical practice in the management of funds and community activities contributing to improved education and understanding of quality of life at the end of life. The foundation of hospice is comfort care-managing pain and symptoms-to improve their overall quality of life while nearing the end of their journey. GSH provided care to 1,290 patients and their families in the community by providing 54,208 visits in their homes. Good Samaritan Hospice had 65 overall active volunteers. In addition, there are 3 volunteers who are active in the Angels on Call program for Good Samaritan Hospice. Angels on Call is a program which provides volunteers to sit with those patients at the End of Life. Volunteers offer anything from scripture to hymns, and simple companionship. The active volunteers participated in bereavement, clerical, patient service, inpatient unit support, and special events. Initial and ongoing training was provided to the volunteers who enrolled to be a part of this program. Other volunteers were able to offer help from home by making "memory quilts" for surviving family members out of personal clothing and fabric special to the deceased. We also experienced a great interest in the "Veteran's Blankets" which are given to those who serve in a branch of the military. The greatest volunteer requests we receive are from caregivers/family members trying to care for their loved ones at home. Caregivers may need to take a break to go to a doctor's appointment or get groceries. Some of our volunteers also visit or call family members at home after a patient passed away to comfort them in a time of bereavement. Hospice has several volunteers with certified pet therapy animals that visit families and offer emotional support. Volunteers also assist with office functions such as filing, organizing, creating admission packets, processing mail, creating thank you baskets for clinicians, and making condolence calls to those who have lost a loved one. Good Samaritan Hospice volunteers played a part in special events, meetings, and activities held throughout the year. Several of the special events included a volunteer recruitment day in Monroeville Community Park, where volunteer opportunities were discussed with 250 participants during a 4 hour event. Another recruitment event was held in Cranberry Township over the course of three days with over 5,000 participants. Education included on-site interviews for volunteers and opportunities offered by Good Samaritan Hospice. Other events included multiple youth bereavement events, memorial services, Holiday Grief Workshop, and a Memorial butterfly release. Over the course of the past fiscal year, Good Samaritan Hospice volunteers provided a total of 1,779 hours of service with a dollar value of $61,891 non-patient related volunteer hours totaled 115 hours of service. Free grief support groups were offered in Beaver, Butler and Allegheny County for those bereaved of our services and for those in the community. There were a total of 6 grief support sessions in all three communities which provided service to 16 participants. The Holiday Workshop was held on November 19, 2024 supported 20 participants. The Family Support Services Team offered over 95 hours of time to prepare, schedule and implement the event. Good Samaritan hosted two afternoon of remembrance memorial programs on April 26, 2025 at the Middlesex office location and May 31, 2025 at Concordia Villa St. Joseph chapel. Volunteers offered 56 hours of their time to prepare, plan and hold these events which served 17 family members. Hospice staff members provided education and information at no cost to over 1,837 individuals and their family members regarding their disease state, concerns, healthcare wishes and hospice and palliative care insurance options within the counties served, prior to their decision regarding care. It is estimated GSH tallied over 91

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 49.7%; rating input score 50
• Program expense ratio: 75.5%; rating input score 76
• Fundraising efficiency: $2.87 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 70.7%; rating input score 71; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 55.6%; rating input score 56; 9th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 34.8%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.52; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 6.7%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings