Patient Advocate Foundation Ensures that Healthcare is Accessible and Affordable for Everyone
The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) is a nationwide organization created in 1996 to provide case management services and financial aid to people with chronic, life-threatening, and debilitating illnesses. Nancy Davenport-Ennis founded PAF after helping a dear friend Cheryl who was battling breast cancer as well as her insurance company. Unfortunately, Cheryl lost her battle, but her legacy lives on through PAF.
“Nancy and her husband Jack were inspired by that episode to set up the foundation so that no one would have to experience the things that Cheryl did,” says Alan Balch who became CEO in 2013. “Our mission is to help patients who can’t afford or access healthcare – people with low incomes who are facing issues beyond their control like transportation needs or insufficient insurance coverage. Everyday financial and logistical challenges are magnified manifold when experienced during the course of medically necessary treatment and such obstacles make it difficult for someone who is trying to get better.”
Alan Balch, CEO of the Patient Advocate Foundation Last year, PAF provided direct assistance to more than 187,000 patients from all 50 states who represented 1,049 distinct diagnoses through 53 patient support programs. “It’s rewarding to know exactly how we help people. We can describe in amazing detail how the donations we receive are used with our ability to quantify not only the number of people we are helping but also the way in which we are helping and the impact of that assistance,” Alan says.
The National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF) is the advocacy affiliate of PAF. Alan also serves as CEO of NPAF. “This is where we engage in the healthcare system from a policy perspective. We look across the entire system to see how we can affect change to make the patient experience better for low-income families who are struggling with acute social and financial challenges in the midst of a significant disease like cancer. We are dedicated to amplifying the voices of patients who deserve better access to affordable, equitable, quality care.”
Alan talks about plans for the future with PAF. “We obviously will continue our central mission. That hasn’t changed in 27 years because we unfortunately continue to live in the world’s most expensive and complicated healthcare system, which means we must stay the course in terms of our core services and programs.”
PAF is expanding its outreach into areas with the greatest needs using information from the Center for Disease Control. “We are trying to make our services available in the communities where patients are the most socially vulnerable and have the highest burden of disease.” Alan notes that these areas are often smaller, more rural communities that don’t have large hospitals or advocacy groups or access to nonprofits and charities that offer assistance. “We are developing partnerships with organizations like food banks and churches so they can connect people to us who need the type of assistance we provide.”
TowneBank is honored to support PAF in fulfilling its mission. “TowneBank has always been a tremendous supporter of ours through donations over the years and supporting our local fundraising event – the Promise of Hope,” Alan says. “This event helps support PAF’s Scholarship for Survivors program, which supports 40 students per year with scholarships. These are all students who, at some point in their lives, had or still have a significant disease that affected their ability to afford or attend their academic pursuits. We love TowneBank. The people we’ve worked with over the years have always been passionate about the community and those of us who are trying to help others. They recognize the work we do and the importance of it. We are glad to be part of the family.”
“It has been a remarkable journey partnering with Patient Advocate Foundation,” says Brian Skinner, Virginia and Northeast North Carolina president, and Donna McMahon, senior vice president and commercial banker. “Witnessing their journey from the inception to the impactful force they are today is truly inspiring. Their unwavering commitment to providing quality healthcare access has touched countless lives. We consider it a privilege and honor to be their trusted hometown bankers in this shared mission.”
For more information, visit PatientAdvocate.org.