Statesville, NC — First Presbyterian Church of Statesville recently donated $5,000 to the Iredell Health Foundation’s Medicine Relief Fund at Iredell Health System. This fund was created to assist the most vulnerable patients at Iredell with medication assistance. The decision to donate the funds was made by the church’s Missions Committee, led by Caroline Ciampanella. “FPC decided to donate to the Medicine Relief Fund as a way to show our support to our community and Iredell Health System. Everyone in our congregation has either directly or indirectly received care from IHS, so this gave us an opportunity to show our appreciation and give to a local organization that is important to all of us,” said Ciampanella. The purpose of the Missions Committee is to provide opportunities for members of the congregation to serve, assist, and support people in need locally, statewide, and across the country. All of the projects are centered around sharing God’s love and grace through serving others. Approximately one in ten people in North Carolina are uninsured when it comes to healthcare. Some may have insurance, but their plan does not cover critical expenses. The Medicine Relief Fund was created to ease these burdens. “The fund has assisted patients with no insurance to get antibiotics and other vital medications until they were able to complete applications for Medicaid or other long-term patient assistance programs,” explained Tanya Sprinkle, Iredell Health’s Director of Case Management & Care Transitions. “We were also able to assist a cancer patient with getting topical nausea medication that wasn’t covered by their insurance to use during their course of chemotherapy treatments.” Patient needs are determined through careful consideration by the Care Transitions team. For more information, or to donate to the fund, visit iredellhealthfoundation.org. Iredell Health Foundation, a 501(c)3, is the philanthropic arm of Iredell Health System. All donations are tax deductible.