Cancer survivor Greg Stack has had a number of health issues over the years. During his frequent visits to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, he often noted the lines of people who relied on public transportation to get to and from the hospital.
So, when the pandemic shut most services down, his thoughts immediately turned to the many individuals who could not put off getting needed medical care. He thought about his father, Edward, who lives in New Jersey and is on dialysis. “I became concerned about him getting to and from his appointments safely,” Greg says.
He decided to do something about it while drawing up his will during the downtime. “I wanted to make sure that people who could not afford transportation to and from the hospital for their doctor’s visits had the means to do so,” he says. “Working with the philanthropy team at the hospital, I learned that I could do this through my estate.”
Greg chose to designate a gift to the Patient Sharing Fund at MedStar Georgetown, which provides emergency and temporary non-medical assistance to patients and their families. It covers expenses such as transportation, hotel fees, and food for families during a patient’s stay, the cost of temporary medications, assistance with housing, utilities, and childcare expenses, and partial payment of funeral and burial expenses.
“I have been very fortunate and wanted to show my gratitude to MedStar Georgetown for the wonderful care I have received over the years,” Greg says. “Through my gift to the MedStar Georgetown Patient Sharing Fund, I hope to help ensure that more patients can access the care they need.”