Investing in Our Community
Access & Excellence: Investing in our Community
$2M
Reading Hospital’s mission does not end at its doors. Across Berks County, too many neighbors face barriers to wellness: transportation, food insecurity, housing instability, limited access to preventive services, and unmet mental health needs. Three interconnected programs extend care beyond hospital walls, reaching people where they are, with what they need, before a crisis takes hold.
Food as Medicine
With nearly 70% of our community identifying as overweight or diabetic, Reading Hospital recognized early that lasting health begins with nutrition. The Food Farmacy, an 18-week program providing locally grown produce, nutrition education, and hands-on cooking support, helps patients manage chronic disease and reduce preventable hospitalizations. Nutrition support also reaches patients at McGlinn, where a food pantry serves those too sick to prepare meals or financially struggling during treatment. Our Women’s Health Center provides food boxes and pantry referrals to pregnant and postpartum mothers facing food insecurity.
Street Medicine
For individuals experiencing homelessness in Berks County, a doctor’s office can feel impossibly out of reach. Reading Hospital’s Street Medicine Program eliminates that barrier entirely by bringing primary care, specialty services, medications, and compassionate support directly to people where they live. Since FY2023, the program has grown from 616 to 1,144 unique patients, an 86% increase, and in FY2025 alone prevented 851 emergency department visits.
Mobile Mammography
Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in Pennsylvania, yet Berks County’s mammography rate lags more than ten percentage points behind national benchmarks. For women facing transportation barriers, demanding work schedules, or language challenges, a traditional imaging appointment simply may not happen. The Mobile Mammography Coach brings state-of-the-art 3D digital screening directly into neighborhoods, workplaces, churches, and community events, completing 1,150 screenings across 135 community events in FY2025 alone. Equipped with the same advanced technology available at all Reading Hospital imaging locations, it is closing the screening gap one community at a time.
Power and Progress: Investing in Programs and Services (Annual Fund)
$10M
Annual operating support for clinical programs, program-specific priorities, and unrestricted support.
