Northland COVID-19 Patient Support Fund

Posted on: 28/08/20

Dean Reihana is 71 years old and lives alone in a council’s pensioner unit in Kawakawa. He has been on dialysis treatment for five years now. He is one of the patients who was granted financial assistance from the COVID-19 Patient Support Fund.

Dean goes for dialysis treatment every other day at the hospital from 6:30am to 12:30pm. “After lying down flat for five and a half hours, I often get very dizzy and need a rest when I get home. It takes a while for the blood to get back into the system. The aches and pains really go through one’s body and mind,” Dean says.

He is “very happy and grateful” for the assistance he received for the power bill payment from the Patient Support Fund.

“It is a big help to me!” he says. “The concrete building that my one-bedroom unit is in is very cold and I need heating to keep the unit warm.”

To save on heating hot water, Dean has to turn off the heating unit every other day. He would go without hot water sometimes because he is worried about the power bill. Hence, he is exceptionally grateful that his power bills are taken care of this winter.

The COVID-19 Patient Support Fund was set up in response to the COVID-19 pandemic under the Northland COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. It provides $500 grants towards patients of Northland District Health Board (NDHB) Hospitals who require financial assistance due to the pandemic. Priority is given to patients who are over 55 years of age, living in rural or isolated areas, in a difficult financial situation, and managing a long-term or acute condition(s).

About $9,800 has been granted to patients of NDHB through the COVID-19 Patient Support Fund so far. We would like to especially thank Foundation North, an anonymous major donor, and the Warehouse Ltd for supporting this Fund.

Health Fund PLUS has been set up by Northland DHB and Northland Community Foundation to provide a way for people to give to the DHB by way of donations or endowments. These donations or gifts enable us to get the ‘optional extras’ in equipment and services for the DHB that can make all the difference in providing the best quality healthcare possible. Note that donations and gifts are never used as an alternative to Government funding.

Give now to the Northland COVID-19 Patient Support Fund.
Donate to https://northlandcommunityfoundation.org.nz/donate/
Visit https://northlandcommunityfoundation.org.nz/giving/funds/northland-covid-19-emergencyresponse-fund/ to find out more

Click here for the full Media Release: Media Release 20082020

Forging brighter futures
through giving

Northland COVID-19 Patient Support Fund

Posted on: 28/08/20

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