2013 Caring & Sharing Annual Appeal
“It was a really dark time, and Cheshire Medical Center was there for me.” In June of 2011, Denise Meadows lost her job as the Director of First Course, when the local nonprofit training and catering program dissolved. Still covered by her medical insurance and having some savings, Denise felt that her “bump in the road” would be temporary and her diverse skill set would help her quickly find new employment.
Four months later, Denise was diagnosed with cancer. Within weeks, Denise underwent surgery, and began chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Too exhausted and weak to continue to seek full-time employment, she relied on various part-time projects and unemployment as income. When her high insurance deductibles depleted her savings, Denise arranged to pay her medical bills with a payment plan, but she could not keep up with the cost of her cancer treatments. Cheshire Medical Center’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center Kingsbury Pavilion offered some relief for daily living expenses through the Patient Relief Fund, but Denise tumbled deeper into debt, and despair. With encouragement and guidance from her care provider team at the Kingsbury Pavilion, and setting all pride aside, Denise applied to CMC/DHK for medical assistance. At the end of May 2012, she was notified that she was eligible to receive direct patient financial assistance to cover her outstanding balance and her remaining cancer treatment expenses.
Denise Meadows wants her story to be told. “A big part of my recovery has been not having that stress of mounting medical bills I simply couldn’t pay. I am so grateful to Cheshire Medical Center for the medical and charity care that I received. I will someday pay it forward.”
Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene provided over $2.7million in charity care during this past year to community members in financial need like Denise. As a nonprofit hospital and clinic that serves our community with the most innovative and effective health care available, we are truly neighbors taking care of neighbors. We are honored to be our community’s healthcare safety net, compassionately caring for every patient, every time, regardless of one’s ability to pay.
But we cannot do it alone.
Contributions to the Cheshire Health Foundation Caring & Sharing Fund directly support our charity care and help family, friends and neighbors like Denise focus on healing instead of their financial situation. Every donation, regardless of size, makes a difference. Your support allows us to advance our shared goal of becoming the healthiest community in the nation, with access to the highest standard of health care for all our families, friends and neighbors. It is the interwoven connection between CMC/DHK and the community we serve that underscores our strength. Thank you for giving today.
By Mail:
The Cheshire Health Foundation
580 Court Street
Keene, NH 03431
By phone: (603) 354-6810
Cheshire Health Foundation is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) foundation for Cheshire Medical Center. Your gift may be tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. *Caring & Sharing annual giving campaign runs from October 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012.
