Mercy AND Justice in Eliminating Healthcare Debt in TN

In this season of Lent, we are focusing on the ways God calls us to both mercy (meeting immediate needs) and justice (addressing root causes of needs).  For many, a medical bill could send them from relative financial stability to financial crisis. 

In an article from Petersen-KFF, “Despite over 90% of the United States population having some form of health insurance, medical debt remains a persistent problem.” Many of us at West End have made our living in healthcare professions, either in direct care with patients as a doctor, nurse, physical therapist, or in healthcare administration. Many of us know the heartbreak of our patients who had to make difficult decisions about their health because of their financial situation. Through this campaign, we hope to put money towards one solution, which is wiping out the medical debts of people who most need it.

Undue Medical Debt has located approximately $33M worth of debt in Tennessee and $1.4m worth of medical debt in Davidson County that we can be part of eliminating. Just $100 covers, on average, $10,000 worth of debt. We eliminated ALL of the accessible debt in Davidson County as of 3/12/24 (YAY!) and now we want to raise our goal to $25,000 to help eliminate a good chunk of the rest of the debt Undue Medical Det has access to in the state of Tennessee. 

We need to be part of the multi-layered solutions that help folks not be sent to collections in the first place. We should help create systems that support financial well-being, like affordable housing and jobs that pay a living wage. But for today, let us be part of wiping out the medical debt for the families that will be impacted by our gifts. We are also very excited to share that we have someone who has offered a dollar-for-dollar match for all gifts up to $5,000 on March 17th! 

Give generously and cheerfully, reflecting on the blessings that God has entrusted us with so that we can be blessings to others!