For Andy

[Horse with no Name]

I talked to a contact this afternoon and here are some suggestions if you haven't tried them yet.

Hill Burton Foundation
www.hrsa.gov/osp/dfcr
Many hospitals received funding under this foundation on the auspices that they would supply a certain amount of free care.
Go to website and click on "obtaining free services"
About HRSA
Vision
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) envisions optimal health for all, supported by a health care system that assures access to comprehensive, culturally competent, quality care.

Mission
HRSA provides national leadership, program resources and services needed to improve access to culturally competent, quality health care.

Goals
As the Nation’s Access Agency, HRSA focuses on uninsured, underserved, and special needs populations in its goals and program activities:

GOAL 1: Improve Access to Health Care.
GOAL 2: Improve Health Outcomes.
GOAL 3: Improve the Quality of Health Care.
GOAL 4: Eliminate Health Disparities.
GOAL 5: Improve the Public Health and Health Care Systems.
GOAL 6: Enhance the Ability of the Health Care System to Respond to Public Health Emergencies.
GOAL 7: Achieve Excellence in Management Practices

Patient Advocate Foundation
800-532-5274
These people act as a liason between you and your healthcare facility to secure care that you can afford.

Hope Link--Redmond
425-869-6000
www.hope-link.org
Provides monetary assistance for uninsured

St. Vincent DePaul
206-767-6449
Can provide financial assistance

Pan Can
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
877-272-6226
Advocates for care of patients with pancreatic cancer--she thought they may provide financial assistance as well.

She recommended that you also contact the Medicaid office to help with payment as well as contacting a Social Worker at Johns Hopkins if you haven't already.

Good luck and will check with more on Monday.

On Edit:
www.pancan.org
These folks do a lot of legislation--maybe with your experience you can barter as a survivor of pancreatic cancer as well as someone already familiar with political workings.:)

[EFerrari]

1. Thank you! Will bookmark and call. n/t

I got a good response from the Hirshberg Foundation. They have a small grant. Can't hurt to ask, can it?

[Horse with no Name]

2. The money is out there if you know how to find it

hopefully some of these will work out.

[EFerrari]

10. That's right. After I wrap up the DU-a-THON, I will go back

again and dig.

Agi Hirshberg herself returned my email. She lost her husband and set up a foundation just for pancreatic cancer. I bet there are more Agis out there. :)

[wildflower]

21. This is a great list...maybe we could get it into Demopedia or

another place? Thanks so much for compiling it.

-wildflower

[cornermouse]

6. Can't figure out how to make the email work

but I will be sending $10 to the Andy address.

[EFerrari]

9. Please, anyone who donates, pm me with the amount

I need to keep track, so when I talk to Attila the Accountant at Johns Hopkins, I will know my stuff. I'm coordinating the money stuff so Andy can focus on gettin his head right for the surgery.

Thank you, cornermouse! You're down for $10.

:toast:

[Nothing Without Hope]

7. thank you sfexpat2000! About the Amazon account for donating

I tried the link you gave in that super-long donating thread,
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/my-pay-page/P2TRHRVBGX9KOX/102-6873839-9047353

in the middle of last night and again just now and get the following error message:
"Recipient Unable to Receive Payments
We are not able to continue with this transaction because the recipient is unable to receive payments through the Amazon Honor System at this time.
Please try again at a later time."

Others in the long donation thread from yesterday (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3561640#3562258) have also had this happen to them.

Do you know if the Amazon donation option is going to become available? It really is the best way for most people. It's what I prefer. If I know the Amazon route isn't going to work, I'll send a check, but that does slow down the process. (I'd prefer not to use PayPal.)

[EFerrari]

8. Amazon account

is new and seems to be flaky. It works right away for some people, works on subsequent try for others.

It is also new: that means, Andy may have a limit or something to what he can receive until they verify his information. :eyes:

Thank you for surfing the inconvenience.

[wildflower]

18. Not working for me either but I'll keep trying n/t

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. Kick for Andy and Horse with no Name....

These are great suggestions.

[pbartch]

23. any chance Andy's story can get in the NEWSPAPERS???

[Just Me]

4. I LOVE DU!!!!

:grouphug: to Andy!

[Horse with no Name]

5. kick again

because these aren't just related to pancreatic cancer.
Might be helpful to some others out there who need medical care but can't get it.:)

[EFerrari]

11. kick for good resources

:)

[wildflower]

20. Agreed...wish I could recommend it again! n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

12. I hope all these resources will be REPOSTED under a new title

that says what is here - resources to try for for all those other sick, uninsured people out there and for the people who know them.

Thank you for this information.

[EFerrari]

13. We're going to need more and more networking to help

people find resources. I suggested it to Skinner but I framed it wrong. We can't make DU liable for giving medical advice, but there must be some way someone can ask about resources and get a response without incurring that liability.

Great thread, thank you all.

:thumbsup:

[Nothing Without Hope]

14. There's a forum that includes health care - maybe we could have

a thread there that is for collecting info on the organizations like this. That is not medical advice, it's giving places to call.

How about collecting links for resources in a Health Care forum thread, then transferring them to the "Links" page of DU or to Demopedia as well? This is information we all need to share, you're so right. And I think if we are careful about NOT giving advice, there should be a way to do it. We need to talk to a lawyer around DU about it and how to make sure we avoid liability.

[nedbal]

15. agree, I've seen no medical advice given

Medical advise would be like "take this supplement" giving resources or referring to Docs is OK. DU would /should be concerned with "pulling a Bev" type thing with monies donated.

[CitySky]

16. If you'd like to help Andy financially,

you can get more info about this in the other main thread (it's in GD, too old to stay on the "Greatest" page) - but it's a very long thread now, so for anyone with dial-up, here's the info:

1) via USPS:
send a check or a money order to:
Andy Stephenson
P O Box 25624
Seattle, WA 98165-1124

2) via Paypal:
(You must have a Paypal account)
http://www.paypal.com /
After logging in, choose "Send Money" and
enter Andy's email address as the recipient
[e-mail]

3) via Amazon
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/my-pay-page/P2TRHRV ...
Just enter the amount and click "pay now"

IMPORTANT: Please PM sfexpat2000 the amount of your donation. She is keeping tabs for her meeting with the hospital on Monday. DU has raised over $10,000 so far. (Follow the progress on the other thread.)

[Nothing Without Hope]

19. the Amazon account often doesn't work - then use PayPal or snailmail

and do PM sfexpat2000 to let her know the amount.

[all.of.me]

17. hill burton has picked up my hospital tab more than once

[tammywammy]

22. kick

[wildflower]

24. Still can't get Amazon link to work. Is it working for anyone now? n/t

[Stillwater]

25. Newbie Here

I just joined after lurking for awhile. I am donating 25 dollars via the U.S. Postal Service

[Stephanie]

26. Welcome to DU, Stillwater!

What a lovely first post!