Palmer Lutheran Health Center Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TOGETHER, WE INSPIRE YOUR BEST LIFE BY RELENTLESSLY CARING, LEARNING AND INNOVATING. LEADING WITH LOVE, WE COURAGEOUSLY COMMIT TO A FUTURE OF HEALTHY PEOPLE AND THRIVING COMMUNITIES.
- Income
- $51.0 million
- Spending
- $47.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 84%
- Reserves
- 5.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 99%
- Employees
- 260
- Volunteers
- 4
- Highest pay
- $1.4 million, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 81 out of 100. Higher than 70% of charities in its peer group (health care, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.7 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 22% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 7% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 1% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1584% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Fair: 65 out of 100. Higher than 3% of charities in its peer group (health care, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
5 of 252 of 6 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $39.7 million spent. PALMER LUTHERAN HEALTH CENTER IS A 25-LICENSED BED CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL. THE ONLY HOSPITAL IN WEST UNION, IOWA, AND EMPLOYS ABOUT 220 EMPLOYEES. PALMER LUTHERAN HEALTH CENTER ALSO HAS THREE RURAL HEALTH CLINICS IN THE COMMUNITIES OF WEST UNION, FAYETTE AND POSTVILLE, A HOME CARE DEPARTMENT, HOSPICE DEPARTMENT, AND HOME MEDICAL EQUIPMENT DEPARTMENT, WHICH HAVE OFFICES IN BOTH WEST UNION AND OELWEIN. IN ADDITION, PALMER OPERATES A SAME DAY CLINIC, OPEN AFTER-HOURS AND ON WEEKENDS, ALLOWING PATIENTS TO BE SEEN 7 DAYS A WEEK IN THIS SETTING. THIS IS OFFERED TO SPECIFICALLY MEET COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS OF WORKING FAMILIES. ANNUALLY, PALMER HAS ABOUT 400 ADMISSIONS, 90 LIVE BIRTHS; OVER 3,600 EMERGENCY CENTER VISITS, ABOUT 20,750 PATIENT VISITS IN THE CLINICS AND PERFORMS OVER 600 SURGERIES (INCLUDING AMBULATORY). ACCOMPLISHMENTS: WHEN RENOVATED, THE HOSPITAL WAS DESIGNED TO ACHIEVE THREE GOALS - CREATE A HEALING ENVIRONMENT THAT WELCOMES AND SUPPORTS PATIENTS/FAMILIES, DESIGN WORK AREAS TO BETTER ACCOMMODATE CURRENT AND FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES, SYSTEMS AND APPROACHES TO CARE, AND TO COMPLY MORE FULLY WITH HIPAA REGULATIONS. PALMER LUTHERAN HEALTH CENTER LEADS DELIVERY OF HEALTHCARE TO ITS REGION THROUGH OVER 225 ASSOCIATES (INCLUDING 2 PHYSICIANS, 3 PHYSICIANS ASSISTANTS, 7 NURSE PRACTITIONERS AND 5 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDERS) WHICH COORDINATE CARE TO DELIVER PATIENT CARE AS AN INTEGRATED UNIT. PALMER LUTHERAN HEALTH CENTER AND ITS AFFILIATES ALSO WORK SEAMLESSLY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE. REQUIREMENTS OF THE IRS COMMUNITY BENEFIT STANDARDS FOR TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS ARE INTEGRAL TO PALMER LUTHERAN HEALTH CENTER'S LARGER CHARITABLE MISSION OF IMPROVING HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE. SPECIFICALLY, PALMER LUTHERAN HEALTH CENTER IS GOVERNED BY A BOARD THAT INCLUDES 3 INDEPENDENT BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE COMMUNITY LEADERS, CONSUMER REPRESENTATIVES, BUSINESS EXPERTS, AND CLINICAL HEALTHCARE EXPERTS. THE BOARD HAS A HISTORY OF COMMITMENT TO ACTING WITH THE HIGHEST OF INTEGRITY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY. PALMER LUTHERAN HEALTH CENTER ALSO MAKES MEDICAL CARE ACCESSIBLE TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY IT SERVES. PALMER OPERATES A FULL-TIME EMERGENCY ROOM AND PROVIDES EMERGENCY CARE REGARDLESS OF ABILITY TO PAY. PALMER PROVIDES CLINICAL SERVICES NEEDED TO OPERATE THE EMERGENCY CENTER AND PROVIDES ON-SITE EMERGENCY MEDICAL, RESCUE AND MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION SERVICES. IN ADDITION, PALMER LUTHERAN HEALTH CENTER, THROUGH ITS INTEGRATED NETWORK OF PROVIDERS, PROVIDES NON-EMERGENCY SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY IT SERVES. IT MAKES THESE SERVICES ACCESSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS LIKE MEDICARE AND MEDICAID AND BY HELPING THROUGH PALMER'S CHARITY CARE POLICY, AND SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT. PALMER LUTHERAN HEALTH CENTER UTILIZES TECHNOLOGY THAT PROVIDES A COMPLETE ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD. OUR ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD IS CONNECTED TO EMPLIFY HEALTH, WHICH ALLOWS US TO SHARE TEST RESULTS AND OTHER PATIENT INFORMATION. THIS ENHANCES THE PATIENT CARE AT OUR FACILITY, AS WELL AS OTHER GUNDERSEN ENTITIES THROUGHOUT THE REGION. THE HEALTH CENTER DOES NOT PURSUE COLLECTION OF AMOUNTS DETERMINED TO QUALIFY FOR CHARITY CARE, THEY ARE NOT REPORTED AS REVENUE. THE AMOUNTS OF CHARGES FOREGONE FOR SERVICES PROVIDED UNDER THE HEALTH CENTER'S CHARITY CARE POLICY WERE $2,469,496 FOR THE YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2025. THE ESTIMATED COSTS OF THE CHARGES FOREGONE, BASED UPON AN OVERALL COST-TO-CHARGE RATIO CALCULATION WERE $2,040,664. THE HEALTH CENTER ALSO COMMITS SIGNIFICANT TIME AND RESOURCES TO ENDEAVORS AND CRITICAL SERVICES WHICH MEET OTHERWISE UNFULFILLED COMMUNITY NEEDS. MANY OF THESE ACTIVITIES ARE SPONSORED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY WILL NOT BE SELF-SUPPORTING OR FINANCIALLY VIABLE. PALMER LUTHERAN HEALTH CENTER TAKES ITS MISSION TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE PEOPLE IT SERVICES A STEP FURTHER BY REACHING OUT TO MEET THE BROAD HEALTH NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. IT STRIVES TO IDENTIFY COMMUNITY NEEDS BEYOND BASIC HEALTHCARE, THEN RESPOND TO THEM, AIMING TO MAKE A POSITIVE, LIFE-ENHANCING DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY. PALMER LUTHERAN HEALTH CENTER TAKES A STRATEGIC, COMMUNITY NEEDS-BASED APPROACH TO DELIVERING BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since April 1989.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
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