Letter: Success! Medical debt destroyed

Graphic by Lori Deaton

On Jan. 30, Mountain Xpress published a commentary, “Debt Destroyers: Locals Launch Campaign to Relieve WNC Medical Debt.” The steering committee wants to let your readers know that our goal was met and surpassed! The Western North Carolina effort to raise money to pay off the eligible medical debt in 34 counties collected a total of $19,193, which not only pays off more than $1.5 million of debt for our neighbors but also almost $400,000 of medical debt of veterans.

Within the next few weeks, people all over Western North Carolina will receive yellow envelopes with letters telling them that their debts are paid off and that credit bureaus have been contacted to be sure that those debts are taken off their records. RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit corporation, is handling the distribution of the funds.

The money was raised from large donors and from many small gifts. Groups at the League of Women Voters and Mindful Mornings passed the hat, donating $56 and $119, respectively. Hot Yoga Asheville had a donation day and raised over $1,200. Zapow! Gallery hosted a party, and donors got free beer (donated by UpCountry Brewing) and mugs for a donation. In addition to the money raised at the party, patrons of Zapow! Gallery raised over 900 additional dollars. A celebration party was held at the Farm at Green Heron Pond; generous contributions to the party were made by Twisted Laurel, Celine and Company, Stargazers Designs and Whole Foods.

In addition to the commentary in Mountain Xpress, the effort received news coverage by WLOS and AVLtoday, all of which helped to make this a communitywide effort.

The steering committee wants to thank all who contributed and those who spread the word about this important effort.

— Linda Connor Kane
Mignon Durham
John Fritchie
Bob and Amy Wise at the Farm at Green Heron Pond
Zapow! Gallery, all WNC

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

3 thoughts on “Letter: Success! Medical debt destroyed

  1. Mike

    “The Western North Carolina effort to raise money to pay off the eligible medical debt in 34 counties collected a total of $19,193, which not only pays off more than $1.5 million of debt for our neighbors but also almost $400,000 of veterans”

    This certainly seems like a good cause. but how does raising $20,000 pay off $1.5 million in debts???

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.