A Personal Call to Arms

Am I taking liberties to get your attention? ABSOLUTELY  YES!  My understanding of a militia is a fighting force composed of nonprofessional fighters called upon to enter a combat situation. Consider this charity (IHS) a  fighting force, not in need of replacements, but a few more units to engage and capture new ground. And that is the objective when an underfunded patient or caregiver arrives at UVA Medical Center ... to feel firmly welcomed and comforted, able to take a breath, begin to think clearly for planning next steps ... and begin the process of navigating either self or another back to health.  Allow me to pose this question:  When was the last time you had to deal with a critical illness or injury away from home, and found yourself without a place to sleep and nothing to eat?  Join the fighters to make sure it never happens during our watch.  The IHS fight began five and a half years ago. The mission was and remains a sustained battle to meet a variety of situations we named "unmet needs" for those outpatients and caregivers of patients who struggle to balance basic necessities a long way from home. The treatment may be free, the professional medical staff among the best,  but without funds for travel, lodging, food, medical co-pays - critical decisions must be made ... TO COME OR NOT! What if an underfunded person arrives and circumstances dictate a change of plans? Now we are talking about being caught in an exceptional dilemma.  The UVA Hospitality is full, or the policy for staying in the Hospitality House does not allow for a child under 18 to stay, and there was no one at home base to assist, so the child is with the patient. And ...  the transportation which brought the patient has gone, or the only transport to get to Charlottesville arrived late at night, and a patient and child are stranded. Now - add to those frustrating situations the fact that a doctor has seen the patient upon arrival and found something very nasty is happening, so the patient is asked to stay over for tests, maybe for several days. Yes - this is a lot to take in, but patients arrive daily who are not prepared for these critically unexpected situations.  The next question of course, until a doctor indicates that one can be healed or that life is about to end, is WHERE DO I SLEEP, EAT, AND SIMPLY MAINTAIN DURING THIS HIGH PERIOD OF ANXIETY? The Battlefield can seem really bleak when an individual has no ammunition to maintain IHS has eliminated so many conditions by becoming a "go to" 24/7 independent charity for all UVA hospital social workers to access for temporary emergency situations as described above. Patients are screened and approved by social workers, and when needed,  IHS pays for lodging (commercial and Hospitality House); provides up to 300 full-day meal packets monthly through social staff;  and provides food on request to Hospitality House. Of course the other unmet needs have been mentioned, but lodging and food remain the most prominent immediate concerns.  No one is confronted with having to sleep on a bench inside or outside UVA Medical Center, or inside their car on a side street, or stay hungry. Those situations are now rare ... thanks to a dedicated volunteer squad working closely with social workers. We need new recruits (that would hopefully be YOU)  to fortify some very real challenges The UVA Hospitality House (HH) changed its policy as of last month for the lowest pay range (indigent) guests from $1/night to $10/night for ALL guests.  This change was felt  immediately as presenting a significant challenge for us. Remember - our initial objective was to assist with immediate " temporary commercial lodging assistance"  for a few days only when HH was fully occupied or HH policy prevented use of Hospitality House. A Reality Check of what this change NOW means IHS has paid for underfunded guests at Hospitality House with a desperate need for as little as $1/night over the last few years.  The longer staying guests who paid only $1/night rate were almost always cancer outpatients here for extended chemotherapy from 4-8 weeks; therefore, what has been a fee from $28 - $56 will jump to $280 for the first 14 days, and then $5/night for the remaining treatment days. In other words, a singular patient's 8 week fee could range from $350 - $490.  You can see how a few extended long-term stays for chemo outpatients and a scattering of guests who only stay for a few days can easily exceed our commercial lodging cost monthly. In essence this new change will increase our need for lodging funds 100%. Some Dedicated Friends have suggested that we must seek new soldiers in this fight The question is:  Are you willing to help us with this idea?  Are you willing to lead an effort to dedicate as little as $10/monthly and ask 10 others to consider your lead.  Reach out to members of your family, neighbors, co-workers, church members, club members, etc. to join you in dedication of $10/monthly.  ACTUALLY ASK 10 OTHERS TO CONSIDER JOINING YOU.  Each one who joins the fight, even if only $5/monthly, will likely become a permanent soldier. We are prepared to support you and introduce what IHS does You have already been introduced to IHS through our website and blog postings. Once this website is read by others, our objectives are abundantly clear.  It is so  important for contacts to understand that this is an ALL volunteer public charity (NO ONE is paid) and funds are fully used to meet the unmet needs of the least able to sustain while in Charlottesville for treatment. It's so easy to reach out and discuss generosity which affects the lives of so many We know that people want to be asked to make a difference. We know that people want to be assured that their giving is going exactly where it is intended. We need for you to bring this awareness to your sphere of influence.  If you can do this ... we will sustain and continue to put our hearts, our time, our feet forward to secure this program which is so vital for so many. Upon accessing our website home page, the easiest way to become a singular or consistent contributor with a small monthly donation, the PayPal opportunity is available. Please let us know you have read this e-mail and offer comments or suggestions.  Sincerely ... from ALL of us on the front lines daily.