Your Impact: Patient Assistance Funds

By Olivia Watson and Anne Paglia

Across Ochsner Health, patient assistance funds help patients and their families get the help they need during treatment, from free meals to accommodations. Ochsner’s compassionate community provides support at every level to ensure that patients get the care they need—and deserve. Here’s how your contributions to the funds have made a difference.

When a 59-year-old caregiver was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she had to press pause on work and focus on her own recovery. But while she had Medicaid, she didn’t have short-term disability coverage and wouldn’t be able to make rent. The Pamela Posecai OCI Patient and Family Assistance Fund—named in memory of the late wife of Scott J. Posecai, Ochsner’s executive vice president for insurance partnerships and treasurer—covered her rent and utilities for two months, alleviating the stress of paying for housing. The fund did the same for a cancer patient who was working, without benefits, as a tour guide in the French Quarter.

Cancer diagnoses are often life altering. Many patients have to stop working when their treatment begins—or their insurance doesn’t offer adequate coverage. One patient discovered that her insurance only covered $500 worth of prescriptions per year, which she had already used. Thanks to the fund, she was able to fill much-needed prescriptions and get $360 worth of medicine covered at discharge.

At the neuro-critical care unit at Ochsner Medical Center - Jefferson Highway, patients’ conditions often onset suddenly, leaving their families little time to prepare for the long road ahead. Kelly Jerolleman, a social worker who manages cases at the unit, saw countless families in need of food, lodging and financial assistance when she started the job. “There were so many situations where we couldn’t meet the need,” Kelly said. “We felt we should have something for these people because they were already going through enough.”

With help from the philanthropy department, Kelly and her colleague, Darlene, established a patient assistance fund for Ochsner Neuroscience Institute. The funds cover a range of expenses—including meal cards and transportation—but most commonly go toward Brent House Hotel stays while patients undergo treatment.

Adjacent to the hospital, the Brent House Hotel is a convenient place for patients’ families to spend the night, especially those from outside New Orleans. “We concentrate so much on the patients sometimes, but their families are a big part of their lives,” Kelly said. “We heal families, too, because we help them understand what the patient is going through.”

-Kelly Jerolleman, ONI Social Worker

Radiation treatments are an integral part of recovery for some cancer patients, and regular visits are mandatory. The Radiation Transportation Fund covers travel expenses for patients with limiting circumstances who are undergoing treatment. A 61-year-oldoyster fisherman, for example, could no longer work after he was diagnosed with brain cancer. With no car and little family support, traveling 30 miles to the treatment facility was an impossibility without the help of donor support.

A 55-year-old patient diagnosed with lung cancer shares a similar story. Her daughter had been serving as her caregiver, but could no longer drive to appointments due to a high-risk pregnancy. Thanks to the fund, the patient was able to attend her appointments and finish radiation treatment.

Since 1942, patients across the United States and the world have trusted Ochsner Health to deliver the highest quality care. As a result, over 4,000 international patients seek treatment at Ochsner each year. They also rely on wrap-around financial support that enables them to access vital treatments.

For two patients recently, the Ochsner Israeli Patient and Caregiver Assistance Fund made the difference between life-saving care or unmet medical needs. With limited financial resources, both patients were unable to fully cover the cost of lodging after receiving liver transplants. The Israeli Patient Assistance Fund covered their stay in Louisiana, allowing them to recover fully and get back to leading healthy and meaningful lives in their communities.