On Common Ground News – 24/7 local newsOn Common Ground News – 24/7 local news
  • Home
  • Local News
    • Atlanta
    • DeKalb
    • Rockdale
    • Gwinnett
    • City of Stonecrest
  • Legal Notices
  • HelpLines
  • Crime
  • COVID-19
  • Coming Up
  • Business
  • Education
  • Life
    • Restaurants
    • Travel
    • Explore
    • Special Events
    • Community Calendar
    • 2021 Graduates
  • People
  • Op/Ed
  • Obituaries
  • Contact Us
What's Hot

Temporary road closure in Cty of Stonecrest due to filming June 28

June 27, 2022

DeKalb County Police Athletic League to host “After Dark Basketball Summer League”

June 27, 2022

DeKalb County Police Department to host 2022 Youth Academy

June 27, 2022
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Tuesday, June 28
Facebook Twitter Instagram
On Common Ground News – 24/7 local newsOn Common Ground News – 24/7 local news
  • Home
  • Local News
    • Atlanta
    • DeKalb
    • Rockdale
    • Gwinnett
    • City of Stonecrest
  • Legal Notices
  • HelpLines
  • Crime
  • COVID-19
  • Coming Up
  • Business
  • Education
  • Life
    • Restaurants
    • Travel
    • Explore
    • Special Events
    • Community Calendar
    • 2021 Graduates
  • People
  • Op/Ed
  • Obituaries
  • Contact Us
On Common Ground News – 24/7 local newsOn Common Ground News – 24/7 local news
Home»Local News»New Birth donation wipes out medical debt for 1,200 South DeKalb residents
Local News

New Birth donation wipes out medical debt for 1,200 South DeKalb residents

By On Common Ground NewsJanuary 16, 2020No Comments4 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Dorothy Malcome fought back tears as she talked about the blessing she received in the mail from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church a few weeks ago. The letter stated that the Stonecrest, Georgia church had paid her outstanding medical debt—no strings attached.

“At first, I thought it was a hoax. I didn’t believe it,” said Malcome. “I opened it and read it and I said, Oh, my God, these people done blessed me! And I just went around the house thanking God. I was so happy… I’m just thankful to the New Birth family.”

Malcome, who is not a member of New Birth, recently contacted the church to personally thank Dr. Jamal Bryant, New Birth’s senior pastor, for the good news she received in her mail. She said she and her husband are disabled, and getting help with her medical bills was a “miracle.” Malcome has faced several health issues including spine problems, carpal tunnel surgery in both hands, a tumor and a hernia. The former housekeeper and elevator operator said she still is in need of double knee surgery.

Malcome isn’t the only person who received a letter from New Birth.

The church wiped out the debt of more than 1,200 South DeKalb residents, thanks to a partnership with RIP Medical Debt, a New York-based nonprofit organization. Pastor Bryant directed the relief efforts to individuals residing in the 30038 ZIP code, which includes Stonecrest and Lithonia. He said people received the help, even if they were not members of New Birth’s congregation as was the case with Malcome, who attends another South DeKalb church.

“We are blessed to be a blessing and this effort has truly help families start the New Year without the stress, worry and concern that often accompanies looming medical bills and calls from debt collectors,” said Dr. Bryant. “When a medical issue occurs, the subsequent bills can wreak havoc on a family’s finances leading some down a path of bad credit or left with reservations about even seeking medical attention for fear of the costs for services.”

Church officials said nearly $1.3 million in medical debt was erased through its partnership with RIP Medical Debt. The average resolved medical debt was $1,065.

RIP Medical Debt, which was founded by two former debt collectors, has been featured nationally for eradicating more than $1 billion in medical debt by taking donations generated from individual donors, faith-based organizations and other establishments and buying medical debt at a greatly reduced discount. Medical relief participants must meet requirements outlined by RIP Medical Debt.

Bryant said he learned about the initiative during his travels and decided that New Birth should step up.

Said Bryant: “As I traveled around the country, I heard about other churches making this initiative to eradicate medical debt and none of them were African American congregations. When you see the inequity of health concerns and health care, there’s an overwhelmingly minority black and brown issue. I thought that our church should really be on the forefront of lifting that up. So we are not the first church to do it but we are the first church at this level to meet the needs within a minority community

New Birth launched its medical debt relief efforts in December, just in time for a Christmas surprise.

“Thanks to the generous donations from the New Birth congregation, we were able to surprise families around the holidays with news that their medical bills have been totally forgiven,” said Dr. Bryant. “We wanted this effort to specifically impact those in the Stonecrest area and provide some needed relief as we enter into an exciting new year and decade.”

According to national statistics, 66% of bankruptcies are related to medical debt issues with 25% of credit card debt in the United States being attributed to medical bills and fees.

Recently, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, through the Trae Young Foundation, partnered with RIP Medical Debt to erase $1 million in medical debt.

For more information on RIP Medical Debt, visit ripmedicaldebt.org.

 

Post Views: 806
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
On Common Ground News

Related Posts

Temporary road closure in Cty of Stonecrest due to filming June 28

June 27, 2022

DeKalb County Police Athletic League to host “After Dark Basketball Summer League”

June 27, 2022

DeKalb County Police Department to host 2022 Youth Academy

June 27, 2022
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Latest Post

Temporary road closure in Cty of Stonecrest due to filming June 28

June 27, 2022

DeKalb County Police Athletic League to host “After Dark Basketball Summer League”

June 27, 2022

DeKalb County Police Department to host 2022 Youth Academy

June 27, 2022

Georgia Sen. Emanuel Jones appointed to Economic Development, International Relations Study Committee

June 24, 2022

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news updates from OCGNews.

About Us
About Us

On Common Ground News is published 24/7 by On Common Ground, Inc (OCGNEWS.COM).
The news outlet was founded in April, 1995.

Facebook Twitter YouTube
Latest Posts
  • Temporary road closure in Cty of Stonecrest due to filming June 28
  • DeKalb County Police Athletic League to host “After Dark Basketball Summer League”
  • DeKalb County Police Department to host 2022 Youth Academy
  • City of Stonecrest Council Meeting, June 29, 2022

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news updates from OCGNews.

© 2022 On Common Ground News.
  • Home
  • Life

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT