McCook Christian Church, Community Hospital team up to continue Patient Assistance Program

Jessica Meyer, right, Pastor of Care at McCook Christian Church, accepts a check from Karen Kliment Thompson, left, Vice President Ancillary Services at Community Hospital and Jessica Bortner, Executive Director of the Community Hospital Health Foundation. Meyer is now coordinating the Patient Assistance Program.

Courtesy photo

McCOOK, Neb. — People experience stress every day and they experience a variety of stressors.

In the Stress of America Survey 2022, 65% of Americans said they were stressed about money and the economy. At the same time, 87% were stressed about rising inflation. Money causes stress for a great deal of people and stress can cause health issues or more health issues. Now imagine going through a catastrophic health event. Such as a cancer diagnosis or chronic illness that will require multiple doctor appointments, treatments, trips out of town, and the list goes on.

The Patient Assistance Program was developed to care for individuals and families going through a difficult healthcare crisis. Community Hospital and Barb Ostrum developed this program in February 2020 as they saw a need arise and wanted to bridge the gap.

This program has helped at minimum 100 families since its development.

The purpose of this program is to assist in reducing some of the financial strain that can be caused by catastrophic medical events.

Barb Ostrum has assessed patients in need for the last three years to find the appropriate program that best fits their situation, including the Patient Assistance Program. Barb is a well-recognized asset to the community of McCook and will be retiring at the end of May from her role at Community Action.

With this news, Community Hospital worked with Barb to develop a plan to continue this program and reach those in need. Community Hospital has generously donated funds to begin this program at McCook Christian Church. Jessica Meyer, Pastor of Care at McCook Christian Church, will fill the role of assisting patients during a healthcare crisis that have a financial need.

Jessica will continue to work closely with Community Action to assist patients in finding the best options in their time of need.

For more information on the Patient Assistance Program or to make an appointment with Jessica, please call 308-345-1516 Monday through Thursday 8-4