Columbia Memorial Health Medical Debt Cleared for City of Hudson residents

The Spark of Hudson in partnership with the Eutopia Foundation is pleased to announce it has reached an agreement with Columbia Memorial Health (CMH) to satisfy CMH hospital medical debt incurred by City of Hudson residents.

In total, $1.5 million in debt has been discharged by this initiative, with 1,156 Hudson residents benefiting. Outstanding payments no longer due include debts currently being paid off via hospital payment plans as well as those that have been sent to collection agencies for satisfaction. “We’re thrilled to be able to help so many Hudson residents,” comments Susan Danziger, Founder of The Spark of Hudson. She adds: “We also imagine this will help improve residents’ credit scores.” 

 According to Danziger, CMH is sending formal notices to eligible Hudson residents indicating the debts that have been discharged. She remarks, “we have no idea who those residents are — all information about them and their cases is rightly being kept confidential.” 

This medical debt relief initiative is part of The Spark’s on-going mission to learn and respond to community needs. Other initiatives sponsored by The Spark of Hudson in partnership with the Eutopia Foundation include payment of back rent for Hudson residents facing eviction as well as HudsonUP, the first (and longest running) U.S. small city universal basic income (UBI) pilot.

Here’s the press release: