In early October, Vickie Kennedy, a Concierge with Planned Companies, began to feel unwell. It wasn’t anything she could put her finger on, just a general feeling of not feeling like her usual self. She chalked it up to stress and worry about COVID.
One day as she was driving home from work, she came to the scary realization that she was unfit to drive home safely. She called a friend for help and was taken to the hospital.
After ruling out COVID-19, doctors determined her gallbladder needed to be removed and she also required a biopsy of her liver. As she was prepped for emergency surgery, all she could think about was wanting to get better – the inevitable medical bills never even crossed her mind.
As she recovered from surgery, the realization that she was facing high medical bills set in. Around that time, she received a text from her Ops manager encouraging her to apply for a grant from the FirstService Relief Fund. She worked directly with representatives from Employee Assistance Foundation – the third party administrator of the Fund — who walked her through the application process and suggested she take cell phone photos of the documents she was required to provide. Within days she received notification that her application had been approved.
“The FirstService Relief Fund helped me get back on my feet much sooner,” said Vickie. “When the bills started coming in, I felt financially strapped. This gave me one less thing to worry about and I felt like a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders. The Relief Fund was a godsend.”
The entire process from application to approval and payment took about a week. Vickie is feeling great now, and resumed work on a part time basis.
Vickie’s story is not unlike others we hear from grant recipients. Health emergencies can happen at any time, and even with insurance, the financial impact can be crippling. The FirstService Relief Fund was established to help our people during times of personal financial hardship.
If you are facing a personal financial crisis or know a colleague who is, we encourage you to learn more about the FirstService Relief Fund.
https://purpose.firstservice.com/our-people-firstservice-relief-fund/