In nearly 60 years since opening in Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has dedicated itself to researching childhood cancer and supporting young patients and their families who might be feeling hopeless with a difficult diagnosis. In addition to increasing the childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to over 80%, each year St. Jude also helps about 8,500 families who are facing a cancer diagnosis by providing treatment, consultations, transportation, and housing — all at no cost. Never receiving a bill lifts a huge burden off these families’ shoulders.
GoodRx and St. Jude both share a vision that no one should be denied treatment due to cost, so our employees felt it was important to support what is the largest healthcare charity in the U.S.
St. Jude has long been a leader in how it approaches and treats catastrophic pediatric diseases. The hospital has also created a community where families have a comfortable and safe environment to adjust to life battling these devastating diseases. It is dedicated to opening its doors to children — no matter their financial, racial, or religious background — to receive treatment. St. Jude helps pediatric patients who are referred for clinical trials when there is nothing more their local doctors can do.
St. Jude was a popular choice for the Good to Give program, and we are excited that one of our own has been connected with the organization for several years now. Kyle, head of engineering on the GoodRx Care team, first became involved with the hospital in college, when his fraternity started a crowdfunding campaign for it, raising a record $25K in one semester. His fraternity chose to support St. Jude because of its mission of raising awareness for children suffering from cancer, as Kyle feels that it’s important for every voice and story to be heard. Kyle particularly values the hospital’s commitment to “helping those who are extremely vulnerable.” Over the years, his fraternity has continued to raise millions for St. Jude research and treatment, which resulted in naming rights to an MRI suite and one of the hospital’s proton therapy synchrotron accelerators that is used in radiation treatment.
Though families never receive a bill from St. Jude, the hospital is different from others that typically rely on insurance recoveries and collections for 85% of their revenue: 75% of all costs are paid for by donation contributions. The majority of GoodRx’s $5,000 contribution will go toward research and treatment. We hope to make a difference in the lives of young cancer patients, both in advancing their treatment options and improving their quality of life.
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Good to Give is our employee-driven charity program, where we support nonprofit organizations and contribute to their efforts through donations. To select groups to support throughout the year, we’re asking our employees to nominate nonprofits and causes important to them before taking a company-wide vote on recipients each quarter. Read more about the program and other recipients here.
