Guardian Angel
Nurse-centered charity offers financial assistance to RNs experiencing hardships

By Linda Childers
August 18, 2003

Imagine simultaneously being diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer and receiving an eviction notice from your landlord.

This is just one of the true stories from the case files of Nurses House, a New York-based charity that has assisted nurses in need for the past 81 years.

Nurses House is a nonprofit organization that serves as a guardian angel to nurses experiencing hardship. Thousands of registered nurses in all 50 states have received financial assistance since the charity was founded in 1922.

The only national fund for registered nurses needing assistance, Nurses House started with a bequest from an admirer of nurses. Emily Bourne, who passed away in 1922, left $300,000 in funds asking that a respite facility be created for nurses experiencing hard times. A house was purchased and renovated in the township of Babylon, Long Island.

In 1960, because of steadily declining use and rising costs, the Nurses House facility was sold, and it became a service organization, helping nurses who needed financial assistance due to injury, illness or disability.

"For many nurses, it's difficult to accumulate the personal resources necessary to meet unexpected and prolonged health and financial problems," said Susan Fraley, MS, RN, executive director of Nurses House.

Last year, Nurses House received 700 requests for financial assistance and provided funding to 127 nurses in need.

"Unfortunately, given the economic climate, we're receiving more requests and fewer donations," Fraley said.

All of the nurses who receive grants through Nurses House are kept anonymous. But Fraley speaks in general terms of nurses stricken with life-threatening illnesses, others who have sustained severe injuries in auto accidents and those fighting mental health and emotional problems.

"In the 1970s, we served a high percentage of nurses battling substance abuse problems," Fraley said. "Today, we're seeing an increase of nurses with cancer, who require some financial assistance while they undergo treatment."

The nonprofit relies on corporate and individual donations in order to fulfill its mission.

"We have several medical centers across the country who regularly hold fund-raisers for us," Fraley said. "There's one hospital in New York that holds a bake sale each year and donates proceeds to Nurses House. This year it raised $1,700."

Nurses House provides nurses and hospital staff with written models for hosting a modest fund-raiser at their worksite. Speakers also are available to attend staff meetings and can bring materials describing the history and mission of Nurses House.

Nurses make 75 percent of all individual donations received by Nurses House. Many donate in honor of a friend's birthday or in memory of a loved one.

"We typically give individual grants to nurses in the range of $1,000 to $4,000," said Aline Anderson, development director for Nurses House. "We also have an emergency fund where we can immediately grant a recipient $500 if a nurse is facing eviction or experiencing a delay with their SSI payments and other subsidies."

For many nurses, applying for a grant through Nurses House is their only option.

"We've received calls from nurses living in their cars," Fraley said. "Often, nurses have no other resources, and we do whatever we can to get them back on their feet."

In order to receive short-term financial assistance, nurses must complete an application that is then reviewed by a volunteer committee composed of nurses.

"We don't require that grant recipients go through a long bureaucratic process," Fraley said. "We do evaluate that a need does exist, and we ask a lot of financial questions to determine that there are no other resources available."

In addition to providing financial assistance, Nurses House maintains links with other organizations such as the American Nurses Association and national law firms whose attorneys often offer their services on a pro bono basis.

Providing care to nurses, who have served as caregivers, can be a humbling and gratifying experience.

"We work hard to make certain that no nurse in need is turned away and forgotten," Fraley said. "The adage 'It is better to give than receive' may frequently apply, but to Nurses House recipients, their expressions of gratitude indicate that receiving often makes the difference between living desperately and living with hope."

Fraley cites one of many thank-you letters the organization receives on a regular basis.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to have received this check. As bad as this whole medical ordeal has been, it has restored my faith in humanity. May God truly bless people like you who work to help people you don't even know."

That also sums up the spirit of nursing-providing care to strangers in need.

To learn more about Nurses House, to be considered as a grant recipient or to make a donation, visit www.nurseshouse.org or call (518) 456-7858.