Annual Lights for Life Fundraiser at Saint Joseph Berea to Provide Emergency Assistance to Families in Need - Archived

For More Information:
Katie Heckman, Manager, Community Relations
859.986.6535
[email protected]

Annual Lights for Life Fundraiser at Saint Joseph Berea to Provide Emergency Assistance to Families in Need

Berea, Ky. (November 23, 2015) –Saint Joseph Berea, part of KentuckyOne Health, is planning its annual holiday fundraiser, Lights for Life, for families in need that, in turn, provides a tribute to loved ones. Now in its 29th year, Lights for Life raises funds to provide emergency assistance and medications year-round for underinsured and low-income patients in the Saint Joseph Berea service area.

Each donation of $10 to Lights for Life purchases a light on the Lights for Life Christmas tree in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one. The names will be read and honored during a special Christmas tree lighting on the front lawn of Saint Joseph Berea on Friday, December 11, 2015 at 6 p.m. Refreshments and entertainment will be provided and the community is welcome to attend.
 
Donations received through the program help underinsured patients get the medical help and medications they need. While emergency departments treat every patient regardless of their ability to pay, sometimes patients need prescriptions and other follow up care that they cannot afford. Without the medication and medical supplies they need, many patients end up back in the emergency room
 
Patients who have benefited from the Lights for Life program include a young child who was hospitalized with bronchial pneumonia whose mother couldn’t afford the expensive medications required for his nebulizer to be used at home. Lights for Life purchased enough medicine to see the child through the crisis. Similarly, a young worker without a job and insurance came to the emergency department with a blood clot in his leg and was in need of a very expensive drug to prevent clotting. Without funding from Lights for Life, the patient would not have been able to obtain this medication.

“When you hear the names read aloud during the ceremony and see the lights sparkling on the Christmas tree, it really is special,” said Leslie Buddeke Smart, vice president of development, KentuckyOne Health. “Lights for Life is a wonderful holiday tradition that helps people throughout the year who otherwise wouldn’t get the medical help they need to be well, while also serving as a tribute to special individuals at Christmas.”

Those interested in honoring a friend or loved one can send donations for the Lights for Life program to Saint Joseph Berea, 305 Estill Street, Berea, KY 40403, with attention to Katie Heckman. Donations can also be made online at kentuckyonehealth.org/lightsforlife. In order to have a loved one’s name read at the tree lighting, donations with names should be received by Monday, December 7, 2015.

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health, the largest and most comprehensive health system in the Commonwealth, has more than 200 locations including, hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies in Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is dedicated to bringing wellness, healing and hope to all, including the underserved.  The system is made up of the former Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System, along with the University of Louisville Hospital and James Graham Brown Cancer Center.