HealthWell Foundation Honors First Responders and Medical Workers through Copayment Assistance Fund for Behavioral Health Services
HealthWell’s Emergency/Medical Workers Behavioral Health Fund Offers Up to $2,000 in Copayment Assistance for Behavioral Health Treatments and Transportation
GERMANTOWN, Md. — September 9, 2024 — The HealthWell Foundation®, an independent non-profit charitable organization that provides financial assistance for underinsured Americans, expresses gratitude to all first responders and medical workers in commemoration of the 9-11 anniversary. HealthWell honors the heroic efforts fire fighters, police officers, first responders and health care workers provide every day to ensure our safety and well-being. We recognize the importance mental health has on their ability to cope with the often extreme challenges of performing their jobs.
HealthWell is marking the anniversary of 9-11 by reaffirming its commitment to breaking down financial barriers that prevent some first responders from seeking the behavioral health care they need. The Foundation’s Emergency/Medical Workers Behavioral Health Fund, which has provided more than $200,000 in financial assistance to over 200 first responders since 2021, helps police officers, fire fighters, EMS and medical workers by covering up to $2,000 in treatment-related out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs, counseling services, psychotherapy, and transportation needed to manage behavioral health issues. The Fund is available to eligible emergency and medical workers with annual household incomes up to 500 percent of the federal poverty level.
“We are honored to assist the men and women whose heroic measures keep us safe,” said David L. Knowlton, HealthWell Foundation Board Chair. “We are proud to provide financial resources to enable these heroes to access and adhere to the behavioral health treatments they otherwise would not be able to afford. We have funds available to these individuals and want to help as many as we can.”
For emergency and medical personnel, witnessing uncontrollable and often devastating events can be a daily occurrence. These events can have long-term effects on their mental health, and the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated these stressors. Studies have found that an overwhelming percentage of health care workers today report frustration, exhaustion, and burnout. Recognizing the daily trauma our emergency and medical personnel endure and supporting their access to mental health services is a tremendous step forward in securing their well-being.
“We chose this time of year, around the anniversary of 9-11, to let the heroes seeking behavioral health care know that we support them, and we are here to help,” Knowlton said. “We don’t want the people who do so much for us to forgo the care they need because of high out-of-pocket costs. With the utmost gratitude, the HealthWell Foundation board of directors and staff thank you for your service.”
Visit the Emergency/Medical Workers Behavioral Health Fund page to learn more. To learn more about our programs and our robust portfolio of disease funds, visit HealthWellFoundation.org.
About the HealthWell Foundation
A nationally recognized, independent non-profit organization founded in 2003 and a resource to the White House Cancer Moonshot initiative, the HealthWell Foundation has served as a safety net across over 90 disease areas for more than 930,000 underinsured patients. Since its inception, HealthWell has provided over $4 billion in financial support through more than 1.5 million grants to access life-changing medical treatments patients otherwise would not be able to afford. HealthWell provides financial assistance to adults and children facing medical hardship resulting from gaps in their insurance that cause out-of-pocket medical expenses to escalate rapidly; HealthWell assists with the treatment-related cost-sharing obligations of these patients. HealthWell ranked 23rd on the 2023 Forbes list of America’s Top 100 Charities and was recognized for its 100 percent fundraising efficiency. For more information, visit HealthWellFoundation.org.
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