Covenant Health Foundation

Covenant HomeCare & Hospice:Donors to Covenant Health Foundation provide funding for a partnership between Covenant HomeCare and Knoxville Area Rescue Mission (KARM) to reduce frequent hospitalizations among the homeless community. In 2024, $214,776 was distributed to support that project which provides onsite medical care, clinic facilities, medication management and case management at the KARM shelter. Since opening in 2019, the program has served 330 patients. Following participation in these services, patients show a 40% reduction in emergency department visits and the avoidance of 13,116 inpatient hospitalization days. As a result of these shelter-based services, the patients at KARM are leading healthier lives. Another $34,214 was distributed to underwrite professional education opportunities for staff, fund membership in the National Hospice and Palliative Care organization, provide medical/hospice housing for indigent patients, provide patient education materials, fund grief counseling services, and conduct the annual memorial service for families of deceased Hospice patients.Covenant Hospice's annual Katerpillar Kids Camp programming continued to be funded by the Foundation in 2024. Approximately $45,700 was distributed to support free weekend day camp experiences and grief support for some 150 children who have experienced the death of a loved one. Approximately 250 parents, guardians, and siblings were also impacted by camp services. The annual camp provides grieving children and teens a safe, understanding environment to express their grief and learn that they are not alone in their grief journey.

Patient & Employee Emergency Assistance :Each year funds are contributed, primarily through Covenant Health's annual WeCare Employee Giving Campaign, to assist employees and patients in times of crisis. Support includes assistance with housing, transportation, food, clothing, medicines/medical supplies, utilities, childcare, disaster recovery (employees affected by hurricane, tornado, flood, etc.), and unexpected funeral expenses. In 2024, assistance was distributed to assist 4,803 individuals at Claiborne Medical Center (14), Covenant parent company (110), Covenant HomeCare (150), Cumberland Medical Center (23), Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center (139), Fort Loudoun Medical Center (52), LeConte Medical Center (38), Methodist Medical Center (78), Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System (29), Parkwest Medical Center (153), Peninsula (52), Roane Medical Center (24), and Thompson Cancer Survival Center (1,210).

The Foundation supports a variety of other programs and services throughout Covenant Health. The most significant distributions in 2024, which were directed to the Covenant parent company, Peninsula behavioral health programs, Parkwest Medical Center, the Fellowship outpatient lodging program, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, Cumberland Medical Center, systemwide outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programs, the Fort Sanders Dept. of Nursing at Tennessee Wesleyan College, Fort Loudoun Medical Center, and Roane Medical Center are outlined below:In 2024, the Foundation supported the Covenant Health parent company by underwriting a $300,000 portion of the new vice president of philanthropy salary costs for the first year of that position. Some $140,000 in funds raised through the annual Artsclamation! fine art sale and other donations supported behavioral health care at Peninsula. Funds supported Peninsula's emergency room diversion project which places a team of behavioral specialists in Covenant Health emergency departments to assess patients who make repeated non-emergency visits to the emergency room. These specialists develop a personalized treatment plan for patients, proposing alternative options to visiting the ED and providing follow-up support and resources to these patients. Additional funds provided discharge medications to patients who need a supply of prescriptions when they leave the hospital to maintain their health until they are set up on TennCare or other payer sources for ongoing maintenance medications. Donations also supported the placement of behavioral health staff in Covenant HomeCare's onsite clinic at Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) to provide counseling and case management services to those clients. Peninsula patients were supported with emergency funding assistance to help with necessary living expenses such as utilities, housing, medications and transportation.Distributions to Parkwest Medical Center of just over $40,000 supported advanced clinical education and training, as well as postpartum and newborn care educational materials for new parents. The Fellowship Outpatient Lodging Program, which is supported entirely by contributions, offers free hotel accommodations and transportation to treatment for patients and families coping with serious illnesses. The program primarily serves Thompson Cancer Survival Center patients and their families who live more than 30 miles from Knoxville. In 2024, $26,675 in distributions supported the program. The program housed 24 guests in 2024 providing 200 nights of free lodging. Approximately $18,500 was distributed to Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, including funds to support perinatal center parents, cardiac rehab patients, the hospital's chaplaincy program, and an ethics gap needs assessment for staff.Just over $13,000 in donations were distributed to Cumberland Medical Center, primarily to provide cancer patient assistance and continuing clinical education.The Foundation receives grant funds annually from the Will Rogers Institute to support pulmonary rehabilitation across Covenant Health. The grant funds provide scholarships to assist outpatient pulmonary rehab patients without insurance coverage or the ability to pay. In 2024, approximately $8,300 in funding benefited 38 patients at Methodist, LeConte, and Fort Sanders Regional outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation clinics.Small distributions were also made to the Fort Sanders Dept. of Nursing at Tennessee Wesleyan College, Fort Loudoun Medical Center, and Roane Medical Center to support clinical education.