Megan Barone, director of development, and Brigetta Overcash, executive director of the WCA Foundation, are pictured delivering clothing to UPMC Chautauqua's clinical director Emelia Harley from the Good Neighbor Fund at the foundation. Submitted photo

WCA Foundation is connecting with the generous nature of this community to help patients at UPMC Chautauqua with economic and medical hardships.

The Good Neighbor Fund has been created by the leadership of WCA Foundation to assist those with determined hardships who need transportation, clothing or medicine to get them home and to their next doctor’s appointment.

The thread that ties all these hardship cases together is spun with community members who step forward as good neighbors with their heartfelt donations to support those in need. The Foundation will take monetary gifts and purchase the needed services. The gift will be magnified by the good works it will do.

“Anyone can find themselves in this situation if they become an emergency patient transported in their bed-clothes in the middle of the night and don’t have any family or friends available at the moment to help them,” the foundation said. “The community’s generosity will help everyone in their time of need.

“The need is not unique to our hospital or community, but our strong response will be unique when we assist our neighbors when they are most vulnerable. Imagine being told you are ready to be discharged but you came into the hospital as an emergency patient and have no clothes with you, no family to help you and no way or means to purchase clothing. The Good Neighbor Fund will be able to help meet your needs.”

For more information about WCA Foundation, contact WCA Foundation Executive Director Brigetta Overcash at 664-5461 or Overcashbe@upms.edu; or director of development Megan Barone at 664-8423 at Baronema3@upmc.edu.

Donations to WCA Foundation are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.