The results continue to amaze. Over $40,000 raised. Nearly $9 million in medical debt forgiven. More than ten thousand individuals given relief.
Three parishes – St. Paul’s, Mt. Lebanon; St. Thomas, Canonsburg; and St. David’s, Peters Township – partnered last year with RIP Medical Debt, a non-profit that buys large quantities of debt at a steep discount and then erases that debt with no further obligation or consequence for the individuals who benefit.
In October, St. Thomas and St. David’s reported that their joint campaign resulted in $1.68 million in debt forgiveness among 1,615 recipients in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia.
At about the same time, St. Paul’s was wrapping up its fundraising for its own campaign, going several thousand dollars beyond a $15,000 donation target and then receiving an additional $15,000 matching gift from an anonymous parishioner.
RIP recently informed St. Paul’s that it had completed the purchase of medical debts that could be erased through the parish donation. The funds were used to abolish $7,197,077 in debts across the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
In all, 8,748 individuals in all but two of the commonwealth’s 67 counties had their medical debt forgiven through the St. Paul’s campaign.
“Our campaign with RIP Medical Debt flows out of our church’s commitment to helping to serve those in need in our community,” said the Reverend Noah H. Evans, rector of St. Paul’s. “We also hope that it is one step in creating a more just society with greater equity in healthcare.”
Every county where the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has parishes saw some benefit: 79 Allegheny County residents received a total of $12,887 in debt forgiveness; in Armstrong County, $64,773 in debt relief was shared among three recipients; in Cambria County, $85,576 in debt was erased, benefiting 10 recipients; in Indiana County, 12 individuals with a total $486 of debts were forgiven; four Somerset County residents received a total of $95,718 in forgiveness; in Washington County, 42 recipients saw $6,438 in debt abolished; and 24 recipients in Westmoreland County benefited from $30,232 in debt forgiveness.
RIP campaigns begin with a basic formula where every dollar raised will pay off $100 in medical debt. In the two campaigns involving Diocese of Pittsburgh parishes, RIP was able to secure more debt for less money and more than double the anticipated impact. Every dollar raised through St. Paul’s relieved $208 in debt; the corresponding amount for St. Thomas-St. David’s was $251.
As a sign of the effectiveness of such strategies and the on-going urgent need, the Pittsburgh City Council and Pennsylvania General Assembly are at various stages of approving the use of public funds for medical debt relief.