By Emma Uber
Northview Church has relieved 2,500 Hoosier families of their medical debt, ultimately eliminating a total of $2 million in medical bills.
Four times a year, Senior Pastor Steve Poe promotes the Northview Dollar Club, in which each member of the congregation is asked to donate a single dollar without knowing what it will be put toward. Poe requested a $2 or $3 donation this time around, which led to the church raising $20,000.
“What can you buy with a dollar? Not even a candy bar,” Poe said. “But when we put it all together we can make a significant difference in a ministry or in a family in crisis. We always keep it a surprise every time we do a Dollar Club because I just want them to give because they know they can help make a difference.”
Northview Church partnered with RIP Medical Debt to maximize the impact of the funds they raised. The structure and low recovery rate of medical debt allows the debt to be paid off at pennies on the dollar, leading to the $20,000 collected at Northview Church paying off an excess of $2 million in medical bills.
Northview has campuses in seven ZIP codes, across which the funds will be divided evenly. Medical debt will be resolved in the Anderson, Binford, Carmel, Fishers, Lafayette, Kokomo and Westfield areas.
Beneficiaries will be notified via letter by the beginning of next month. For many families, it will mean opening mail that is not a medical bill for the first time in months.
“I say all the time that we make a living by what we take in, but we build a legacy by what we give out,” Poe said. “The people that are giving their money are a part of making a difference in people’s lives, and if anybody has ever struggled with debt and had debt creditors calling them, that is a hassle. They hassle families a lot and that is a lot of stress on a family that will be gone.”
