Bridging the Gap for Transplant Patients

For many transplant patients, the stress of a medical procedure pales in comparison to the fear of not being able to afford the care they need. The stakes are particularly high if a patient loses their insurance coverage, and is unable to pay for life-saving medications. Additionally, patients have to worry about the cost of their accommodations for post-op care, especially if they’re traveling from out of town.

The Greg Smith Fund provides a critical bridge for transplant patients until their insurance coverage kicks in. For one patient, this fund made all the difference during the two-week period between their surgery and insurance activation. The patient’s outcome would not have been successful if they didn’t have access to the medicine they needed, made possible by the Greg Smith Fund.

“This fund saves lives,” Surveen K. Klein, Transplant Supervisor at the Ochsner Transplant Institute said. “Over the years, accessing the Greg Smith Fund has given countless transplant patients a brief period to create a new plan to afford their critical transplant medications. Thanks to our generous donors, this essential resource ensures we can continue delivering care to the patients who need it most amid unexpected life challenges.”

Since its inception in 1984, Ochsner’s team of renowned physicians, surgeons, transplant nurses and support specialists have successfully performed over 8,000 life-saving liver, kidney, pancreas, lung and heart transplants. This number includes surgeries performed through our living organ donor programs, including the Living Donor Liver Transplant Program and Living Kidney Donor Program. We are proud to be the most active and experienced transplant center in the Gulf South region.