Caring Through COVID
Editor’s Note: The HealthWell Foundation is the founding sponsor of Real World Health Care.
This Real World Health Care column is not like others I’ve written. But then again, this year is not like any other we’ve lived through.
Krista Zodet, HealthWell Foundation
I would typically use this end-of-year column to thank you for following our blog throughout the year. I would encourage you to revisit the posts we’ve published on topics ranging from ALS and Movement Disorders to CAR-T Therapies and Macular Degeneration. And I would heartily thank our patient community partners for sharing their insights with us and with you.
I would be remiss, however, if I did not also acknowledge the significant public health challenges our nation and our world have faced this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown everyone how devastating a life-altering illness can be. Regardless of whether we’ve been personally touched by the pandemic, we all have seen how it has impacted others – their health, incomes, education, relationships and mental well-being.
Devastating impacts like these are all too common among the patients HealthWell assists every day, which is why we are honored to offer grants that help them afford the cost of treatments.
This year, HealthWell was particularly privileged to assist more than 9,000 people through our COVID-19 Ancillary Costs and COVID-19 Insurance Premium Assistance Funds. Through these funds, we were able to help people with the cost of food, transportation to and from medical appointments, COVID-19 testing, and premium assistance for those living with a chronic condition where disruption of treatment could cause serious consequences.
In addition to direct assistance, HealthWell shared COVID-19 resources from public health experts and our valued patient community partners. These resources spanned topics ranging from the latest COVID-19 news and research to programs and services relating to mental health, caregiving, and the chronic illnesses that don’t take time off during a pandemic.
Real World Health Care will focus more on these partners and COVID-19 resources in 2021, and I invite you to subscribe to the blog to follow our coverage.
HealthWell has been busier than ever in 2020, and we will continue to serve patient communities in need, both through our Funds and through the information and insights we bring you in Real World Health Care.
As we near the end of 2020, everyone at Real World Health Care and the HealthWell Foundation would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the first responders, health care workers and volunteers who are on the front lines, not only during the pandemic, but every day. Thank you for all you do and for all you have sacrificed to keep us safe. You truly embody what it means to help those in need and make a positive difference in someone’s life. We share your commitment and encourage our subscribers to do so as well.