Statements
Mission
The Nashville General Hospital Foundation procures resources to support the patients, families, staff and community of Nashville General Hospital.
Background
Since 1977, the Nashville General Hospital Foundation (formerly Friends In General), a 501(c)(3) public foundation, has been the driving force in securing grants and private donations to support patient and resident care across the Metropolitan Nashville Hospital Authority (MNHA). The Authority is the community's safety net, healthcare continuum for the working poor, under-insured, and uninsured. The Nashville General Hospital work is focused on providing resources for the nearly 40% of all patients coming to Nashville General without resources to pay for their healthcare, much less anything else.
The Food Pharmacy and Food Outreach are NGH Foundation fully funded programs offering nutritional support to patients living with food insufficiency. The main focus today is on the estimated 60% of our patients diagnosed with at least one chronic illness (diabetes, hypertension, COPD, heart disease plus malnutrition/obesity). The NGH Foundation dedicates funds to the Patient Medication Fund to support patients unable to afford short-term prescription needs. Finally, the NGHF is in year 3 of a focus on low health literacy. More than 84 topics have been produced to assist our neighbors in making better choices for their own healthcare. More on this program may be found at the NGH Foundation website. As a note, the Nashville General Hospital Foundation is not a grant making body and does not respond to grant request for any purpose.
Impact
The Food Pharmacy and Food Outreach provided more than no-cost 725,000 meals since 2020 to those identified with food insecurity. The Food Pharmacy standards provide nutrient dense foods suitable for hypertensive and/or diabetic individuals due to the more than 65% of Nashville Adults suffering from chronic diseases. NGH Clinic and inpatients are provided specific foods totes responsive to their diagnoses. The Outreach Program offers no-cost, volunteer-delivered totes for those unable to reach us.
The Medications Fund provided thousands of medications to those unable to afford their prescriptions. The Medications Fund is also designed as a bridge for patients who may need long term medication support while they apply for those services in the community.
Our Oncology Patients receive NGH Foundation support through three designated funds which cover non-medical needs like Food Pharmacy totes or transportation to appointments, specific equipment needs during cancer treatments and palliative support for the patient and caregivers.
As a partner in the Nashville Health Literacy Forum, the NGH Foundation has initiated the production of print materials in support of this community-wide effort. The first program places easy-to-understand materials in every food tote distributed from our Food Pharmacy, plus placement throughout our community. Topics include a medications management chart for patients, updates on Covid-19, how to make decisions of where to go for healthcare, questions to ask a provider, questions to ask a pharmacist, how much salt is too much salt and more. The second program builds upon the first with a specific focus on oncology patients with easy-to-understand pages on pain management, cancer treatments and decisions, Covid-19 and more. As of March 2022, a Health Literacy Guide for Diabetes has been added to assist patients and their families to living with this diagnosis. and in March 2023, a new guide for hypertension. All materials are produced i English and Spanish.
In April of 2023, NGHF created a partnership with WNPT to produce 15 broadcast videos pulling topics from the health literacy series. The partnership will continue into 2024 with a 15 part series on cancer support for patients.
Needs
Our Food Pharmacy and Health Literacy program budget is $331,00. 100% of this is reliant upon response from the community to continue to meet the food insecurity needs of our community, now largely in response to pandemic challenges.
The Health Literacy budget requires $125,000 for renewed print materials, an additional set of topics, the WNPT series for 2024 and translations of topics.
The Medications Fund Budget is $60,0000 and as before, our ability to respond to patient needs for medication is dependent upon community response. Due to loss of jobs and other support, the monthly demand for this patient support has doubled in patients screened for inability to afford their prescriptions.
Due to the pandemic impact and infection control standards, we are in constant need for new clothing for all patients - newborn to adults. Highest need would be for infant clothing, blankets and disposable diapers. Adult needs for clothing are in synchronization with the season from warm coats and gloves to t-shirts and loose pants. New items can be brought to NGHF at 1818 Albion Street 37208 - right off D.B. Todd Blvd.
CEO Statement
Nashville General Hospital continues to respond to the needs of uninsured patients - currently nearly 40% of everyone coming to our doors lacks any resource to pay for their healthcare. This means that NGH's work as a safety net facility and community hospital will be more important than ever. Who are our patients? They are many of our neighbors across town or next door. People who lost their job recently, or who earn minimum wage and have to choose between groceries and medicine, or who have aged to the point where they no longer can fully care for themselves. To address these growing needs, the Nashville General Hospital Foundation steps in with major fundraising and grant support. . Thousands of patients each year visit us who have no money for medicines, x-rays, or treatment for cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. These patients know that even in their darkest hour, their wellness comes first with our caregivers as no one is ever turned away based on inability to pay. Please support these empowerment efforts today with a donation to the NGH Foundation.
Board Chair Statement
I wish you could see the faces that our Board sees - patients and families in challenging circumstances who have come to know Nashville General as a warm and welcoming place for great healthcare. The overwhelming data continues to prove that Nashville needs Nashville General as a key cornerstone of healthcare provision to our community. Yes, the hospital receives resources from the city, due to its original charter commitment to provide a hospital for those in need and those resources are well used. However, the need is greater than what is offered from your city. Our Board for the NGH Foundation takes our role seriously in stepping up to providing those extra resources to get the job done and we invite you to join us in this mission.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Health Care - Hospitals |
| Secondary Category: | Food, Agriculture & Nutrition - Food Banks, Food Pantries |
| Tertiary Category: | Health Care - Patient & Family Support |
Areas Served
While the Hospital Authority's main focus is Davidson County, the uninsured and working poor from all over Middle Tennessee seek treatment at our facilities.
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Rutherford |
