How Donor Support Gave More Than Medical Assistance to a Trapped Patient

How Donor Support Gave More Than Medical Assistance to a Trapped Patient

A patient found herself trapped in her home. The Patient Assistance Fund helped her get out and back on her feet

By George Menz

The Patient Assistance Fund at Ochsner Health exists to provide hope and support to patients beyond what medical care itself can provide. There are countless stories of lives changed by this fund—and Elle’s story is no different.

Elle, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy, is a 73-year-old woman living with several diseases including: type 2 diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease and major depressive disorder. After multiple hospital admissions, Elle became frail, and moved from her home into a 300-square-foot apartment. However, her belongings remained unpacked in boxes for almost a year.

She found herself trapped inside her home between boxes and bulky furniture, unable to cook her own meals or reach her medications in the refrigerator. She began to suffer from depression, and her blood sugar management suffered, as well. Home health aides measured her blood sugar at over 500 ​mg/dL—a normal range is around 140 mg/dL.

The most crucial thing, though, was that Elle herself knew that something was wrong. “She said, ‘This isn’t me, I’m capable of doing better, I just can’t do it,’” said Kathy Jo Carstarphen, MD, MPH, MA, who treated Elle. “I believed her.”

Dr. Carstarphen knew something had to be done. She reached out to a specialist in hoarding disorders with whom she had worked before. After an evaluation, the expert concluded that Elle wasn’t suffering from hoarding disorder and experiencing difficulty parting with her possessions. In fact, Elle was confined because she wasn’t able to clean her apartment by herself.

Kathy Jo Carstarphen, MD, MPH, MA, Sr. Physician, Medvantage.

Photo: Stephen Legendre

The expert recommended some simple, straightforward solutions, like cleaning out excess furniture. But Elle couldn’t pay for these services on her own, and insurance wouldn’t cover them. “It would cost thousands of dollars,” Dr. Carstarphen said.

That’s where the Patient Assistance Fund came in. It took eight months for Dr. Carstarphen to secure the necessary funds, but throughout the process, her case managers offered reassurance. “They never told me to go away,” Dr. Carstarphen said. “They said, ‘Be patient, there’s been another COVID surge.’”

After months of patience, Dr. Carstarphen was able to secure the money that Elle needed. The Fund paid for an organizer and laborers who cleaned and organized the apartment in February 2022. They did more than just clean up: they brought non-slip mats into the bathroom and gifted Elle with kitchen essentials and a utility cart to help with laundry and groceries.

A painting by Elle, now sitting proudly on Dr. Carstarphen’s desk.

Photo: Dr. Kathy Jo Carstarphen

Thanks to the help that the Patient Assistance Fund made possible, Elle’s diabetes is back under control. She’s picked up her paintbrush again—one of her paintings hangs in Dr. Carstarphen’s office—and leads an active social life, even attending New Orleans’s Jazz & Heritage Festival. Although her chronic illness remains, she’s happier and healthier.

“When she comes to the clinic, she’s walking,” Dr. Carstarphen said. “Everything in her wheelhouse to fix and control has been done. Her quality of life has improved.”

Social determinants can have as much of an impact on health as pathogens. The Patient Assistance Fund makes it possible to address these factors. Aside from the incredible benefit to patients, it also supports doctors who feel powerless in the face of complicated health situations.

“In my opinion, burnout happens when you have moral injury,” Dr. Carstarphen said. “You see a need, you want to fix it, but you can’t. When you give providers the autonomy and ability to address patient needs, even when those needs aren’t purely medical, it protects them from burnout and improves outcomes for the community.”