Wednesday, September 27, 2017

An Opportunity Worth Relating to You ... and for Your Further Sharing

As a friend of this charity, you are well aware of our consistent production of full-day meal packets provided monthly to the UVA Social Work Office for underfunded outpatients and caregivers.  The meals, along with lodging assistance for the least able who arrive with inadequate funds to sustain their visit for an appointment or multiple treatments, are the main categories of support for which IHS is known.  However, there are other important support areas for which our support has made an immediate impact for a patient.

It is important to share the following, even though this recent case must be related in a less specific manner for purposes of privacy.  It is prominent that friends of the charity understand the full range of actions that IHS makes with your donations. I think you will be pleased to learn of our efforts.

E-mail Request to IHS from UVA Clinical Social Worker in 2017:
"My immediate supervisor suggested that I reach out to you to ask whether IHS might consider partial funding support for a prosthetic leg for a UVA patient.  This patient has worked throughout their adult life on an old prosthetic leg, which now no longer fits and is not usable for work. The patient is not able to return to work until obtaining a new leg. Once that objective is met, then the patient will be expected to return to work immediately.

After UVA financial assistance is applied to total cost of the leg ($10,000+), the patient is responsible for coming up with $2,042 (20% of the total cost). Prosthetics and orthotics reports that the patient will be able to get this limb with 50% of patient responsibility down payment ($1,021) and could bill for the remaining 50% once the patient returns to work.

We are attempting to help the patient get funds needed to get the leg,  so that the patient can get back to work and then pay the rest personally. This patient has raised  $572 from family and friends. $449  is still needed.  Would IHS be able to help out with any part of this remaining balance?  I realize this unmet need may be out of the scope of IHS, but I wanted to check, as I am exhausting every resource I can think of to help this patient. Thanks so much for taking time to consider."
IHS Response same day to this request:
" Interfaith Humanitarian Sanctum (IHS) will complete the balance as requested, namely $449. Please e-mail an invoice from the party who is to be paid. This should not be directly from the patient. Your quickest response appreciated. I need the provider of the prosthetic with details for making payment on behalf of the patient. The patient need only know that a  friend of the hospital is assisting. Thank you for allowing us to assist.  Sincerely ...  T. Wade Clegg III, IHS, P.O. Box 163, Palmyra, VA 22963."
And, as always, please remember that all of us at IHS are non-paid volunteers, and we are all donating what we can to IHS personally. Also remember - for transparency we hold the "Gold Seal of Approval" from the Guidestar.org national clearing house. Please do what you can. And, if you would like to donate now to our cause, please click the button below to go to our encrypted secure on-line donation form.
   

 Sincerely ...  Thomas Wade Clegg III and Sam McLawhorn