Year-end Giving Critical to Addressing Healthcare Inequity

By Charles Redding, MedShare CEO & President

The year 2020 was one of the most unprecedented years in history and 2021 did not result in the level of recovery that many anticipated. Both years continued to highlight the major issue we face with healthcare inequity and the disproportional impact it is having on impoverished communities.

Healthcare or Health Inequity refers to avoidable differences in health between different groups of people. These widespread differences are the result of unfair systems that negatively affect people’s living conditions, access to healthcare, and overall health status. Health inequity affects people from disadvantaged or historically oppressed groups most severely. However, it has a negative impact on everyone.

A great example of how MedShare is addressing this issue is our recent partnership with JAMBO Tanzania.  JAMBO Tanzania, which was founded by Dr. Mary Banda, has a vision to establish a sustainable healthcare focused center in the Kagera Region of Tanzania, that provides quality patient-focused affordable care from trained staff that cultivates an environment that enriches the local community’s health & economic well-being.

This past April, MedShare helped Dr. Mary Banda see this vision fulfilled by providing over $300,000 of critical medical supplies and equipment to help address many of the health-related challenges the region faced. The supplies and equipment delivery was timed with the opening of Kashambya Hospital, a brand new 30-bed hospital located in the village of Gera, Tanzania.  Kashambya Hospital will provide healthcare and prevention treatment across five departments with a focus on malnutrition.  These treatment areas include maternal and infant health, child/adult health, non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases and mental health as the hospital’s core emphasis, while offering a patient-centered experience.  Plans include annual treatment for nearly 30,000 patients, including over 18,000 outpatients. 

This vision is very personal for Dr. Banda.  She grew up in the Kagera region of Tanzania, and witnessed firsthand the lack of proper primary education and inaccessibility to general healthcare for the majority of the local residents.  She has spent the past 20 years traveling back and forth from the U.S. to her hometown with a focus on improving education and healthcare. 

MedShare is steadfast in partnering with organizations like JAMBO Tanzania, and many others, that are addressing healthcare inequities in order to improve the lives of communities world-wide.

In order for MedShare and other non-profit organizations to continue to tackle complex issues like healthcare inequities and increase our impact, we depend on the generosity of countless individuals, corporations and foundations that join us in our efforts improve the quality of life of people, communities and our planet. 

Now is a great time to consider your year-end gift that will improve the lives of countless people in the U.S. and abroad. Many nonprofits, like MedShare, simply could not do the work that we do without your continued generosity and support. We often forget about the importance of planning for year-end gifts. I want you to know that your gifts, whether they’re large or small, are vital to the organizations you support. Your generosity at year-end helps nonprofits to start the New Year off right and maximize our impact!

Each gift you make will touch the lives of the patients, medical professionals, and families we serve. Thoughtfully consider your plans for giving this year. Think about what you’d like to give, how you’d like to give, and when you’d like to give. In doing so, you can ensure the greatest impact for you and the organizations you support! Here are some helpful tips to maximize your impact:

1. Save all gift receipts and acknowledgment letters for tax purposes.
2. Complete your giving before midnight December 31, 2021, in order to make your charitable contributions tax deductible for 2021.
3. Give in someone’s honor – Donate in lieu of a holiday gift. Whether it’s to your own Donor-Advised Fund or directly to Med Share’s Annual Fund, be sure your gift is postmarked or submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31.
4. Consider gifts of stock that have increased in value. They may provide greater tax savings than giving cash.
5. Required Minimum Distributions (RMD). If you are over 70½ and own a Traditional IRA account, you must take your RMD prior to 12/31.  If you inherited an IRA, you may be required to take a distribution even if you are younger than 70½.
6. An IRA Charitable Rollover allows individuals over 70½ to donate up to $100,000 directly from their Individual Retirement Account (IRA), without treating the distribution as taxable income.
7. Putting MedShare in your will or estate plans is a simple way to give! Contact our Development Team at donate@medshare.org to learn more.
8. As always, please consult your tax advisor.

Let’s end the year by being a part of the kind of good we would like to see in the world.    

On behalf of the countless individuals that have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of others, we say Thank You!

This is sponsored content.