Purpose
Second Wind St. Louis has given nearly a half of a million dollars to help lung transplants and their families for their needs. The Assistance Fund is intended to be a charitable provider of limited financial assistance to lung transplant patients at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. It is designed to help pay for medical expenses and other related expenses that are of an emergency or non-insured nature. There is a limit to the level of assistance that will be provided per person per year. Since funds are distributed from charitable donations, assistance will only be provided when funds are available. There are specific eligibility criteria. This is not an entitlement program. Once an application is received an evaluation process will take place which will determine whether assistance will or will not be provided.
Eligibility
In-order to apply for assistance an applicant must meet all of the following criteria:
- Must be a lung transplant patient at St. Louis Children’s Hospital or Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
- Must be post organ transplant or on the active waiting list for a transplant or in the transplant evaluation process.
- Must have a medical or other related need for financial assistance which is of an emergency or non-insured nature.
- Must complete the Second Wind Patient Assistance Fund application form.
- The applicant or guardian cannot have a total annual household income of more than $45,000 for a family of four. Extenuating circumstances should be listed; i.e., number of family members, costs of care, etc.
- The application for assistance must be verified by one of the following members of your transplant team: Social Worker or Financial Coordinator.
- Other documentation is to be submitted if requested by the Second Wind Assistance Fund.
- The application must be accompanied by proof of household income. This can include tax statements, pay stubs, Social Security award or denial letter and other documents.
- If applying for a bill to be paid, a copy of the bill or formal cost estimate must be submitted with the application.
Pharmaceutical
Community a Walgreens Pharmacy has agreed to work with the Assistance Fund to provide applicants with the best possible pricing of medications. They accept all major insurance plans and will file all third party insurance claims. They provide excellent customer service including convenient delivery by mail, courier and FedEx. Bio Script is a full service pharmacy that specializes in medications for pre- and post- transplant patients.
Short Form
Applications for less than $500 may be processed by the program administrator. If your request is for $500.00 or less, proceed to the Short Form in this packet on page three and complete it . You must also complete the Release Form on page seven. When both are completed mail to the address at the bottom of page nine.
Requests for more than $500 will be processed by a committee within the St. Louis Second Wind Lung Transplant Association. Any distribution of funds will be made payable to the provider in the form of a check. Amounts will be for specific quantities and not general lump sums.
These guidelines are subject to change without notice and can be amended by the Officers of the St. Louis Second Wind Lung Transplant Association. Incomplete applications will not be processed. The Second Wind Assistance Fund reserves the right to deny applications. Funds will be distributed on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard for age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity.
To request an application packet please contact:
Beverly Blackmon
1720 Market St
PO Box 771242
Saint Louis, MO
63177
email
Why Second Wind Lung Association is so important to us.
On New Years Eve 1998, I met a little lady. Little did I know but after talking the evening away I found out that this lady was on a waiting list for a heart and lung transplant. This was a pretty scary thing to take in, but I took it all in and decided to find a way to be with her for better or worse and in sickness and in good health. On May of 2000, we walked down the isle and became husband and wife. Not knowing what to expect, she received a call on the evening of August 2, 2000. We weren’t expecting it so soon after getting married, but here it was. She was like a trooper. She went in, and I got there from work as fast as I could. Her surgery lasted more than 14 hours. The very next day I was able to go in and see her. I almost broke down and cried right there. I was so happy she was out and was doing alright.
After 30 days in the ICU and 2 weeks in a normal room, the doctors let her come home. I was so excited. The journey for us was just beginning. During the next 15 years Second Wind Lung Association was in the background there as a support backup. Over the years we have gone through one strike and several employment changes with gaps of little or no income. Second Wind was there for us and helped us over the tough areas with the cost of medicine, cobra, utilities, and even a house payment.
Sonia has been out for 16 years from when she had her heart and bilateral lung transplant and is doing great. Through it all Second Wind St. Louis has been like an angel of support for us.
After all the help and support of Second Wind and their president, Tom Archer, I have made it my mission to support and help Second Wind Lung Transplant Association of St. Louis. I’m now on the board of directors and I can’t do enough to spread the word of an organization that truly helps lung transplant recipients. Please come out and join us on October the 15th to help support Second Wind Lung Transplant Association.
–Ken Schanz
Former Second Wind St. Louis President