State of the Heart Hospice and other hospices nationwide are cautioning community residents to be wary of potentially fraudulent solicitations for hospice care support by the Hospice Support Fund. State of the Heart recently heard from an area resident who was asked to donate to hospice out of state with an indication this was for the “Greenville area hospice.”
Christy Baker, Development Specialist for State of the Heart, stated that a man came into the agency office recently explaining that he had been called by someone who indicated they were seeking funds for the area hospice and had his name as a previous donor. The phone call was followed by a mail solicitation asking for funds to be mailed to the Hospice Support Fund in Virginia. State of the Heart had cared for the man’s wife and he thought he was making a contribution to the local organization. State of the Heart does not share its list of patients or donors with any entity.
“One thing that is confusing for many people is they don’t know that not all hospices are the same; we are not part of a national chain of hospices,” Baker explained. “State of the Heart is a local nonprofit agency with offices in Greenville, Coldwater and Portland.”
Recently, hospice organizations nationwide were cautioned to be aware of mailed solicitations asking for money to support hospice care locally. Baker said that the Hospice Support Fund does not in any way provide financial support to State of the Heart. Fraudulent solicitations had been done in other U.S. communities on behalf of local hospices, similar to the incident in Greenville.
“This is an excellent example of someone taking advantage of those who had a good hospice experience, are philanthropic and who are under the assumption that all hospices are linked and share in funds,” Baker said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.” Baker advised that if someone is solicited by phone or mail to help “the local hospice,” they should be cautious and not commit to funds for a group such as the Hospice Support Fund nor give any information about their bank account or credit card information.
All communication to friends, donors and supporters of State of the Heart is on State of the Heart letterhead and is delivered with the State of the Heart logo on the envelope. For 33 years, State of the Heart has cared for patients and families in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness. For more information, visit the agency web site at www.stateoftheheartcare.org.
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