National Health Care Leaders and Elected Officials Join Patient Advocate Foundation in Opening Larger National Facility to Meet Increased Staffing, Patient Service Demands

Ceremony Celebrates Move to Meet Significant Patient and Staff Growth; More than 50 Skilled Jobs added between April 1 and October 1, 2010

HAMPTON ROADS, Va., Aug. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), – a national non-profit resolving patient access to health care issues, medical financial limitations, insurance denials and multiple government program enrollments, including Medicaid and Social Security Disability Income - marked the official grand opening of its new national headquarters today in Hampton Roads, Virginia with a widely attended ribbon-cutting ceremony.  President Obama sent a personal letter of congratulations for PAF's continued service to Americans who are challenged with hurdles to accessing important health care services. Senator Jim Webb's regional Director Charles Stanton joined Congressman Robert C. Scott (D-3rd-VA), Delegates Glenn Odor and Robin Abbott, as well as Hampton vice Mayor George Wallace and former Newport News Mayor Joe Frank, to formally participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Representatives from donor organizations including American Cancer Society, Lance Armstrong Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, including Patient Advocacy Directors from Amgen, Cephalon Oncology, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Novartis and sanofi aventis were also in attendance. Local dignitaries from Hampton Roads included James Essen, Hampton Director of Economic Development, and representatives from Riverside Health Systems and Sentara Health Systems.

Personal letters of congratulations from Virginia's U.S. senators, Mark Warner and Jim Webb, were read by officials from their staff who participated in the ceremony. "You are a true example to organizations aspiring to improve the health of Americans," said Senator Mark Warner.

PAF now has 187 staff positions, of which 174 are located at national headquarters in Hampton Roads, VA, with others located in district offices in CA, FL, IA, NC, NV, NY, and TX. That number is expected to rise to 217 staff positions by October 1st, 2010. PAF has experienced tremendous growth since its initial staff size of two in 1996, the year it was founded in Newport News, VA by current CEO Nancy Davenport-Ennis and co-founder John H. Ennis.  "For patients and their families struggling with illness, you bring order to chaos and answer despair with light and hope," said Christian G. Downs, President of PAF Board of Directors and Executive Director, Association of Community Cancer Centers.  

As the United States moves forward with health reform implementation, case complexity is on the rise with more than 23 percent of patients reporting two or more health conditions when they contact PAF.  More consumers are requesting counsel from PAF about medical debt crisis, insurance benefits, and clarification of healthcare reform questions concerning implementation of specific benefits. Year to date in 2010, patient case volume has increased 18.8 percent over this same time period in 2009. To meet the growing service demands offered by PAF, 20 new professionals have been hired in recent months, with plans to hire an additional 30 case managers and skilled professionals by October 1st, 2010. These positions are skilled healthcare professionals who will be providing specialized case management assistance to people with cancer.

"For the last fourteen years, The Patient Advocate Foundation has served Virginia residents and Americans across the country struggling with illness and access to care issues who have nowhere else to turn," said Congressman Robert C. Scott. "As PAF moves to its new headquarters in Hampton, I look forward to continuing our collaborative work to ensure that patients across the nation are protected from health care discrimination and the many forms that it takes."

"We are pleased to expand our national headquarters to accommodate staff growth necessary to meet the demands of the patient volume and case complexity. Moving to a larger space was necessary to support the growing number of patients we serve and the growing number of programs we provide," said Nancy Davenport-Ennis, Founder and CEO of Patient Advocate Foundation. "For the last 14 years, PAF has been dedicated to improving the quality of life of patients diagnosed with chronic, debilitating and life threatening conditions with access to health care issues that if unresolved threaten to stop or delay therapeutic intervention. PAF is dedicated to assuring that patients across the nation are protected from health care discrimination in the many forms that it takes."

"Our healthcare delivery system can be quite difficult to navigate, and your efforts to help bridge the gap between patient and provider are admirable," wrote Congressman Robert J. Wittman. "At the same time, your faithful advocacy on behalf of all of those with life-threatening illnesses is essential for ensuring that patients all over the country get fair and proper treatment. I hope your new location provides you with a comfortable atmosphere for which to extend your helping hand."

The new space, consisting of 37,000 square feet, includes direct patient service programs to address insurance co-payment support, appeals and disability.

In 2009, PAF received in excess of 4 million contacts from patients, family members and health care professionals requesting access to information and financial assistance through their websites, web portals and chat lines. Additionally, PAF professional senior case managers successfully resolved 55,384 cases for patients that required direct, sustained mediation and arbitration services. PAF services are available nationally at no charge.

Davenport-Ennis states, "The opening of this expanded national headquarters is a tribute to years of dedicated service to patients by the members of our executive, scientific and honorary boards of directors, in combination with the outstanding operational leadership of the President, Operations, Fran Castellow and the President, Mission Delivery, Beth Patterson and their colleagues on the PAF Executive Round Table, Jack Ennis, Chief Development Officer, Alan Richardson, Chief Corporate Development Operations Officer, Erin Moaratty, Chief of External Communications, Dynelle Lunsford, Chief Financial Officer, Pat Jolley, Chief of Patient Services, Bill Nason, Chief Operation Officer, Angela Wood, Chief Human Resources Officer, Carey Waldrip, Chief Information Officer working with the full time professional team members of PAF. The generosity of our supporters, including corporate donations, community businesses, national nonprofit organizations, our United States government, as well as our own state of Virginia and local government leaders, has underwritten our continued opportunity to meet the needs of families in crisis due to acute illness."

Operational funding for Patient Advocate Foundation is provided by other national non-profit patient organizations, foundation grants, Federal Center for Disease Control grants, Congressional appropriations, Virginia State government appropriations, national partnerships with other patient assistance organizations, corporate donors, community fundraising events, data sales and individual donations. For more information about Patient Advocate Foundation, please visit www.patientadvocate.org or call toll-free (800) 532-5274. 

Mission: Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability.

SOURCE Patient Advocate Foundation