Keogh Health Foundation :: Do A Little. It Means A Lot.

Our Success Stories

Being Seen for Who You Are - A.J.

AJ Before and After Image A.J.and his cousin were just being boys, when a homemade bow and arrow turned into an accident that cost him his eye. Staff members at A.J.ís local Boys and Girls Club brought their concerns to to Amy Gibbons, President and Executive Director, of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix. Amy immediately contacted one of her long-time board members, Karlene Keogh, co-founder of the Keogh Health Foundation.

Amy recounts the events that unfolded, The Keogh Health Foundation was just great. They jumped right in, and were able to determine A.J.ís current AHCCCS health plan would cover most of his needs. They were able to guide A.J.ís grandmother and aunt through the confusing forms, and the process of finding a specialist. Ultimately some of the bills that were not covered by the health plan were paid for by the Keogh Health Foundation. The culmination of advocacy and care for A.J. made it possible for A.J. to receive a new prosthetic eye. A.J. is now a healthy young teenager who has confidence and high self-esteem, he plays many sports without embarrassment and earns straight A's in school.

Stepladder to Success - Laura

Years ago, Laura escaped a violent relationship with her two children. She and her children were homeless for three months, living on the streets and sleeping in parks. She found family-style housing, and worked three part-time jobs to provide safety for her children—and begin the steps toward self-sufficiency. Today, Laura holds a full-time position with the University of Arizona, working with the very shelter that provided a safe haven off the streets to her family.

As part of a U of A study that researches the lives of previously homeless mothers and the connection with substance abuse and mental health, Laura works as an office specialist. Also as part of the study, Laura serves as the Arizona consumer representative for U of A at United Methodist Outreach Ministries (UMOM), the shelter involved in the research and the place she and her children called home for nearly two years. In June 2003, Laura became the first consumer to serve on the UMOM Board of Directors.

As a “mentee” in the mentoring program at Fresh Start Women’s Foundation for the last three years, Laura continues to struggle occasionally to meet the financial demands of having an apartment, caring for her children and trying to balance her life. Should an unexpected event that requires payment arise, placing a strain on a mentee’s ability to pay health insurance, Fresh Start turns to the Keogh Health Foundation for assistance. For Laura, that meant temporary payment to help cover the costs of her monthly insurance premium at a time when she was behind on her bills due to unexpected, necessary car service.

Laura credits the staff and volunteers at the agencies that have shown her the steps to self-sufficiency—a path she has followed with dignity and from which she has never veered. “They lifted their hearts, gave me a renewed outlook and self-esteem, and celebrated my achievements,” says Laura, referring to all who have assisted her as having “hearts of gold.”

She continues, “Without these people, there is no stepladder. With them, the greatness you can achieve is unimaginable. When someone cares about you, that’s the greatest gift they can give you.”

Laura was recognized for her achievements when she received the Sonoran Living Woman of the Month Award in January 2003 and the Maureen Barkley Inspirational Award in December 2003.

With U of A’s study drawing to a close, Laura has accepted a new challenge: The position of Director of Database Management and Marketing with a Scottsdale-based mortgage broker. Through Fresh Start, she will seek the expertise of the Health Foundation in applying for COBRA health insurance as she transitions to her new job.

Laura continues to serve on the board of UMOM and as U of A’s consumer representative for Arizona, speaking at venues across the country and lending her first-hand perspective on the importance of residential stability during traumatic situations.

I’ll never stop speaking out and telling my story on behalf of women and children,” says Laura.

Nurturing a Healthy Environment - Shelley

Shelley’s daughter was just 16 weeks old when Shelley learned a grave lesson: the environment your child lives in makes all the difference. That early environment for Shelley and her daughter was one of a vicious cycle of drug addiction by the child’s father.

Shelley’s daughter, born premature at 27 weeks and weighing only two pounds (which Shelley believes was due to the stressful environment she was living in), had to stay in the hospital’s intensive care unit for the first four months of her life. Today, she suffers from a bronchial pulmonary disorder and asthma.

It wasn’t long after Shelley was finally able to bring her baby home that her child was hospitalized twice. It wasn’t long after those hospitalizations that Shelley fled the environment that was both unhealthy to her daughter and destructive to her own self-esteem. For the next two years, as Shelley worked at a daycare center to support herself and her baby, she sought refuge in the homes of families she met through her church.

While Shelley has been promoted twice at the daycare center and now serves as Director, her earnings are still only $11.53 an hour; her monthly out-of-pocket insurance cost is more than $350 a month. Given the increasing costs associated with her daughter’s healthcare, from surgeries and medications to a breathing machine, Shelley turned to Homeward Bound for assistance in the Spring of 2004 after she had “fallen through the cracks” everywhere else.

“I couldn’t qualify for any kind of assistance because I had insurance,” says Shelley, “even though my salary couldn’t cover the premium and all our other living expenses.”

The caseworkers at Homeward Bound, who Shelley describes as “incredible,” turned to the Keogh Health Foundation for financial assistance to help Shelley cover all of her daughter’s medical expenses. Also, recognizing that Shelley and her daughter were eligible for Homeward Bound’s transitional housing program, they provided an apartment for them. Shelley has been living there ever since with her daughter, paying rent, building a savings nest egg and participating in community service activities.

“Before, despite my job, I couldn’t provide for my daughter as we lived from church family to church family,” explains Shelley. “Now, we have our own place, and I’m held accountable for my own money. It’s an incredibly beneficial program that has boosted my self-esteem.

“In this environment, my daughter can be a little girl,” says Shelley.

While Shelley is grateful to organizations like Homeward Bound and the Keogh Health Foundation, she also credits the Lord for giving her the strength to leave the environment that was hurting her child. She realizes today that despite how scared she might have been at the time, she made a selfless decision to leave for the betterment of her daughter’s life.

“The Lord showed me there was a way out to give my daughter the life she deserves. By the grace of God and my daughter, I have a new outlook on life.”

Becky

Recently, Becky a young mother of four met with one of our staff members. Becky’s husband had lost his job and their medical insurance. This hard-working family had no experience in accessing public health programs. Becky was referred to the Keogh Health Foundation through one of our partner agencies; we helped Becky understand the confusing maze of programs. Together we determined that her family was eligible for KidsCare. We helped her apply for this unique program, which blends parent’s premiums with State and Federal funds to provide a comprehensive health plan.

Becky’s family now has an affordable health plan that provides routine and preventive care. She also has peace of mind knowing that her family is protected from devastating medical-debt. Your grant helped Becky and her family. You can watch a short video about Becky and our work by visiting the home page and following the link.

Cardinals Academy

Claudia Maldonado, Program Manager, made a presentation to families associated with the Cardinals Academy and the school next door. Sometime after the presentation, Jean called Claudia and described her dilemma. Jean is a legal guardian for two children that are not her own, and because she had a stable job she was able to pay for health insurance for these children. Early in 2008, her work-hours were cut and she could no longer afford to pay the insurance premiums for the kids. Jean had no experience in applying for any public benefits and was grateful that she met Claudia. The Keogh Health Foundation assisted Jean in applying for AHCCCS for the children. Jean is a very generous person; the children could have received benefits from AHCCCS because they had no source of income. However, Jean treated the kids as hers and paid for their health insurance and doctors visits. She is very grateful that she found a capable navigator in the Keogh Health Foundation when she needed one.

Head Start

Heather struggles for independence because her Cerebral Palsy restricts what she can do – including holding a job. Fortunately, she receives Social Security Disability benefits and other assistance so she can maintain a home for herself and her young daughter. After a divorce, Heather could not afford health insurance for her girl and she applied for AHCCCS. She was denied coverage because she earned too much – even though her only income was from disability benefits. Frustrated, because she knew the importance of health insurance for her daughter Heather turned to the Head Start program for help. It was through our community partnership with Head Start that Heather was able to contact the Keogh Health Foundation. Once Heather and Claudia met and completed the on-line screening and application process, it appeared that Heather’s daughter was eligible for KidsCare. Heather is now paying an affordable low monthly premium for her child because KidsCare uses a combination of funding from parents, state, and federal sources to provide a comprehensive health plan for low-income families.