St Claire HealthCare celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, and many organizations have helped commemorate the occasion. Porter Group Insurance pledged a $60,000 donation to St Claire earlier this month, joining Stockyards Bank and Citizens Bank as premiere sponsors.
Mindy Highley is the Executive Director of Community Outreach and Philanthropy at St Claire HealthCare. She said the Porter Group is a long-term partner of St Claire, sharing a similar mission.
“The Porter Group really feels like they are in business to serve others. They feel like their business is a ministry, and they have reached out to us to partner in bigger ways to help the folks in our area, primarily those who are underserved,” said Highley.
According to the Federal Consumer Financial Protections Bureau, more than 18% of Kentuckians had medical debt in 2020. Contributions by individuals and organizations go toward St Claire’s Charity Care fund, assisting patients who can’t pay their hospital fees.
Highley says donations also help bolster the hospital’s Basic and Emergency Needs fund.
“And that fund helps with some things that are maybe not medical bills, but they’re vital to a person’s health and wellbeing. So for instance, if we have an oncology patient who really needs to be at treatment three times a week but doesn’t have transportation means to do that, we might be able to provide them with a gas card or some money for a taxi, or something so they don’t have to skip those treatments,” said Highley.
As part of their gift, Porter Group Insurance will support one internship position at St Claire. Highley said the recipient of this internship will be a college junior or senior with an interest in healthcare management.
“They will have a job here, for 20 hours a week at the hospital, and get to see the inside of how that works, so it’s a great partnership. They’ll be providing one semester of the internship, and then St Claire will match their gift and provide the second semester, so it’s a year-long experience for the student,” said Highley.
The Citizens Bank and Stockyards Bank each provided two scholarships as well for students pursuing a career in healthcare. These scholarships, as well as the internship position, are two-year commitments on behalf of the organizations and St Claire.
For more information about scholarship opportunities, charity funds, and services offered, visit the St Claire Healthcare website at https://www.st-claire.org/.