Critical Medical Needs Program

Critical Medical Needs Program is sponsored by United Way of Southwest Missouri & Southeast Kansas (and other regional United Ways in Missouri). This program helps households with critical medical needs avoid utility disconnections or restore services. It is made possible through partnerships with utility companies and local health systems to identify eligible patients, secure assistance, and provide additional support.

Critical Medical Needs - United Way of Greater Kansas City United Way Critical Medical Needs Program When you are dealing with a major physical or mental health crisis, you can have trouble paying your utility bills. The loss of your utilities can exacerbate your health condition and spiral into other unforeseen consequences that jeopardize everyone in the household’s stability.

United Way of Greater Kansas City launched the Critical Medical Needs program in the summer of 2024. It is designed to stop disconnection or restore services for households with people who have critical medical needs.

This new program, made possible in the Kansas City area by the support of Evergy and Spire, works with health system partners and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to identify eligible patients, speed up securing assistance, and provide additional supports for households that are struggling with major medical needs. Currently, this program is only available to Missouri residents.

It is administered by United Way of Greater Kansas City, United Way of St. Louis and United Way of Southwestern Missouri and Southeastern Kansas. The program can help with Evergy, Spire, Ameren, and Missouri American water bills, while we work to add other utility partners.

If you are unsure which United Way will assist you, please use this form to find out which United Way serves your county: If you are served by United Way of Greater Kansas City, the referral form for this program may be completed by the provider or by an individual with a verifiable relationship to the provider holding a valid NPI number.

United Way reserves the right to verify the referral with the provider before proceeding with any assistance. Our initial launch included Children’s Mercy Hospital, University Health, and Mosaic Health but we are adding new healthcare partners and looking to expand the network of referral points in the next year.

Why only Missouri: This program is a result of work by the Missouri Public Service Commission staff, utility companies operating in Missouri, and United Ways across the state to secure funding, develop process, and assist Missouri residents with critical medical needs.

Spire Western Missouri Service Area Evergy Metro and Evergy Missouri West Service Area Critical Medical Needs Stories The new year got off to a challenging start for Brittany S. , a single mother of two school-aged children, who is also a caretaker for her aging grandmother.

“I was going through a mental health crisis,” Brittany… Continue Reading Critical Medical Needs Program Helps Mother Facing Winter Utility Shutoff Joint pain has been a constant source of struggle for Joann T. for many years. She got some much needed relief late last year, with hip replacement surgery.

But she’s been crippled by more than just the debilitating… Continue Reading How Local Support Kept Joann’s Lights On After Hip Surgery Life has often felt like a day-to-day survival mode for Ingrid M. At just 30 years old, she’s been thrown one hardship after another, with much of her trouble stemming from chronic physical and mental health challenges.

“The last year has been… Continue Reading Critical Medical Needs Program Helps Ingrid Avoid Shutoff and Stay Housed A four-day hospitalization was enough to upend Kayla T. ’s stability. “It was overwhelming because I was dealing with all of my health issues, and going through a breakup at the same time,” Kayla shared.

… Continue Reading After Hospitalization and Job Loss, One Call to 211 Helped Kayla Keep the Lights On Gena and Albert are looking forward to a fresh start and better health in the new year because the past two years have been full of challenges. In April 2024, Gena badly injured her back on the job,… Continue Reading Bridging the Gap: How Utility Assistance Sustained Gena and Albert Through Recovery “It just kind of compounded on me.

” That’s how Roger C. of Sedalia, Mo. Felt when a nearly $300 utility bill showed up in his mailbox.

Roger is an amputee and also lives with chronic ulcerative colitis. He survives on a… Continue Reading Sedalia man facing $300 utility spike gets help from United Way When you talk to Karyn M. , you can feel her struggles.

Her voice carries quiet and heavy. “I don’t feel good,” she said. “I have cancer.

” Despite her health battle, Karyn wanted to share her story. For Karyn and her… Continue Reading Local Family Overcomes Utility Shutoff With Help From United Way Critical Medical Needs Program Caroline G. “What would I have done?

My next step was homelessness. ” Caroline G. admits she thinks about that a lot after coming through a harrowing health scare that left her on the brink… Continue Reading How Caroline Survived a Health Crisis and Near Homelessness with Help from United Way “I was on the verge of dying.

” Crystal A. of Sedalia, Mo. feels lucky to not only be alive, but to finally know what was causing her to feel so sick for months on… Continue Reading A Painful Wake-Up Call: How United Way Helped Crystal Rebuild After a Medical Scare Getting out of bed and going about daily tasks is a major undertaking for 62-year-old Lisa S.

of Kansas City, Mo. She suffers from chronic back pain, high blood pressure, diabetes and her COPD… Continue Reading Critical Medical Needs Program Brings Relief to Neighbors Like Lisa Nancy R. and her family have become very familiar with United Way Impact 100 partner Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Nancy’s teenage daughter has kidney disease, requiring dialysis at the hospital three times a week. The… Continue Reading Critical Medical Needs Program Provides Support to Family Facing Mounting Bills “I got behind on my power bill because I owe their government some money for back taxes,” Kenneth C. , of St.

Joseph, Mo. shared. “And they were taking the payments so it was really… Continue Reading Breathing Easier: How Critical Support Helped Kenneth Keep His Power and His Health “I have to make minutes,” Nancy M.

said while rushing around running errands on a recent Wednesday afternoon. That’s because Nancy is fighting colorectal cancer, but she hasn’t let it dampen her spirits. “I… Continue Reading Hope in Hard Times: How Nancy Found Light in the Dark Angela T.

is still trying to fully heal from a surgery that didn’t go as planned. “I ended up having an operation on one of my feet and it didn’t heal properly with the… Continue Reading More Than a Bill: How Critical Medical Needs Support Gave Angela Time to Heal Cassandra C. of Kansas City, Mo.

admits life often feels like a struggle. She deals with both physical and mental health issues that can make everyday life hard. The long winter racked up high… Continue Reading How One Call to 211 Helped Cassandra Keep Her Utilities On When the power company notified Cheryl F.

that her electricity was about to be disconnected, her big heart sank (literally and figuratively). Living with congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, cardiomegaly, atrial fibrillation, and coronary artery… *Serena is desperately hoping for a new beginning. She relocated to the Kansas City area a year ago while in the middle of a legal case.

Serena had been trafficked in another state. Thankfully,… Continue Reading One Woman’s Story of Finding Stability After Trauma and Struggle Monica L. is a single mom of three, who lives paycheck-to-paycheck.

She only recently went back to work in the food service industry, after taking time to focus on her health. Monica lives with… Continue Reading A Light in the Darkness: How Critical Medical Needs Programs Support Families in Crisis Jeanie Bordon and James Carver have been divorced for more than 12 years. But that hasn’t stopped Jeanie from stepping into a major caregiver role for James over the past year.

“He’s always been… Continue Reading Powered by Community: Utility Help for Medical Needs Darren R. spent his career saving the lives of others, but it almost ended when a patient pulled a gun on him. “I sustained a brain injury, continue to battle PTSD,” Darren said.

“On… Continue Reading Community Partnerships Power Utility Relief WHAT IF… You were driving to work one day and someone smashed into your car, then fled the scene, leaving your mode of transportation to work in shambles? It’s the reality Susan M.

faced… Continue Reading A Lifeline Restored: How United Way’s Critical Medical Needs Program Helped Susan Overcome Hardship After a Hit-and-Run Event and Meeting Space Rental ECM Training and Resources United Way of Greater Kansas City 4801 Main Street Suite #425