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Local Episcopal churches help eliminate $1.68 million in medical debt

By Jon Andreassi staff Writer jandreassi@observer-Reporter.Com 3 min read
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Two episcopal parishes in Washington County teamed up to help eliminate $1.68 million in medical debt in western Pennsylvania and beyond.

Both St. David’s Episcopal Church in Peters Township and St. Thomas in Canonsburg worked through the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt. The organization’s website allows for groups to set up a GoFundMe-style campaign for their region.

According to the Rev. Canon Cathy Brall, priest in charge at St. Thomas, RIP Medical Debt does a $250 match for every dollar donated, more than the initial $100 Brall believed they would match.

“We originally set our goal to raise $5,000. That would allow us to basically relieve about $500,000 worth of medical debt,” Brall said.

The churches ultimately raised $6,704.79.

The way RIP Medical Debt is able to relieve debt is by purchasing the debt in bundles for a cheaper price, according to its website. People will then receive letters in the mail informing them that their debt has been erased.

Those who benefitted from St. Thomas’ and St. David’s efforts started receiving letters informing them in mid-October.

This means groups will know where the money went and how much, but the beneficiaries remain anonymous. Though no debt was relieved in Washington County, relief was provided to nearly all counties in Western Pennsylvania, as well as counties in northern West Virginia and eastern Ohio.

Of the $1.68 million, nearly $5,000 went to help eight people in Greene County. In Fayette, 21 people are having more than $20,000 in debt wiped out. The biggest chunk went to Allegheny County, where more than $290,000 in debt was taken care of for 257 people.

“While we may have some control over our health, most emergencies that lead to medical debt are unexpected and largely unavoidable. Since health insurance is typically tied to a job, anyone unemployed is at high risk. Anyone in a difficult financial situation is already struggling, so adding thousands of dollars of debt just makes things untenable. As Christians we are called to support and care for the poor and those in need,” said the Rev. Kris Opat, priest in charge for St. David’s, in a press release.

Brall said they were blessed the churches were able to help so many people, and hopes others are inspired by their efforts.

“We have no idea who these individuals are in the debt portfolio. So for us as churches, it just sort of seems like a gospel thing,” Brall said. “The gospel is about spreading God’s grace and God’s love to everybody. Even people that you don’t personally know.”

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