Medical Services

Soaring healthcare costs often place individuals and families into a Catch-22 situation. While it is gradually becoming too expensive to afford health insurance, health insurance is absolutely necessary to prevent costly medical bills that may arise unexpectedly. Unfortunately, the number of Americans who do not have health insurance is on the rise:  Seven million people lost their coverage between 2000 and 2005. Rising health costs cause a brutal chain of events. Employers are either forced to hire fewer employees—decreasing the amount of jobs available; or they do not provide health insurance for their employees--which forces families to pay for medical expenses out of their own pockets. For a family who can not afford these additional costs, a medical bill can be extremely harsh, causing them to cut expenses in other necessary areas such as food or housing.

Change a Life Foundation realizes that this epidemic of rising health costs is life-threatening for low-income families. The Foundation was happy to continue their philanthropic mission in 2006 by joining our 10 non-profit organizations that specialize in assisting families and individuals with medical services, to give attention to individuals and families in need of assistance. The Foundation has been able to assist the individuals in Southern California communities in many ways. In 2006, funding was given to purchase prescriptions, to pay for COBRA insurance, for dental work, for orthodontia for youth in foster care, dentures, anesthesia, respite care, specialized mattresses to help prevent bed sore, hearing aids, and even prosthetic devices.  Additionally, emergency needs and special assistance for 25 burn survivors in their recovery were provided.  Over 100 uninsured, diabetic individuals with low-incomes were provided with eye exams and glasses.

The Change a Life Foundation constantly strives to fulfill their mission to provide support for critically needed direct services that promote an individual’s level of self-sufficiency and improves their quality of life. Change a Life seeks to counter the feeling of loss and hopelessness a family or individual is faced with when confronted by daunting health care costs. By providing small miracles through granting 581 individuals with assistance through $394,319 in grants in 2006, the Foundation hopes to have impacted the lives of these recipients in such a way that they will feel compelled to pass on the hope, that they have been bestowed, to another individual or family in need.