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Patient Stories

Gillette Assistance Program (GAP) Changes Lives

The Gillette Assistance Program (GAP) provides you with an opportunity to have your donation directly help Gillette families in need.  

The program is part of Gillette’s commitment to provide medical care to our patients at a reasonable cost. A team of financial experts at Gillette works with families to find ways to help pay their medical bills. GAP is a financial assistance program that provides discounts on eligible costs billed by Gillette.  

“Life can change so quickly so when someone is there to help financially during a stressful and emotional time it is so appreciated,” says Nicole Leinonen mother to 13-year-old Ella.  

Nicole was the proud breadwinner of her family when she was suddenly laid off from the job she held for 21 years. She lost her medical insurance and faced medical bills for Ella’s care.  

Ella’s primary doctor referred her to Gillette in 2017. She saw many specialists and went through rounds of medical tests before Gillette doctors discovered Ella has a tethered spinal cord and a rare genetic syndrome.  

I knew Gillette was the best place...

“I knew Gillette was the best place for Ella and she was getting excellent care,” Nicole says. “I worked with Gillette to get on a payment plan to pay my bills. One day when I was making a payment online a message came up on my computer and it gave me a number to call to get some financial assistance. I thought, I’m not sure the program is meant for someone like me,” Nicole adds.  

“I called and spoke to a super nice person at Gillette and she encouraged me to apply to the GAP program. I sent over some paperwork using my computer. The very next day she called back and said, ‘Nicole, I have very good news.’ That’s when I found out we qualified for help. I was so overwhelmed and grateful that I cried, I could barely speak on the phone,” Nicole recalls. 

Nicole is not alone in feeling like her family might not qualify for GAP but Gillette is trying to help as many families as possible realize there might be some financial assistance available.  

“We want to get the word out that GAP is available to all Gillette families and we really want to help in any way we can,” says Gillette Manager of Charge Integrity, Ashley Burch. 

Generous donors help more families

Gillette knows even families who have private health insurance deal with financial issues. For example, GAP can help families who have high deductibles or high copayments for medical care.  

“We recently made applying for GAP even easier,” Burch adds. “Families fill out a financial assistance application that they can find on our website, let us know their family size, income and provide their last tax return. Our team can then quickly evaluate the situation,” Burch says.  

“Thanks to generous donors we’re able to help even more families,” Burch reports. “In 2018 we approved 186 families to get assistance through GAP. In the first 10 months of 2019 we’ve already helped 368 people get enrolled in GAP.” 

Besides generous donors, GAP receives funding from many Gillette employees who donate to the program through our Employee Giving Campaign. “Our wonderful Gillette employees work with our families every day and want to help lift any financial burdens,” Burch says.  

Nicole Leinonen says she’ll never forget the phone call that she says changed her life. “Every time I think of that phone call from Gillette telling me that I qualified for some financial assistance I get emotional. I’m amazed at how generous people are,” Nicole says. “The GAP program means I can focus on Ella and her needs. I don’t have to be so stressed worrying about how, as a single parent, I can pay for her care.”  

Get involved with GAP

If you're a Gillette family in need of some financial assistance please visit this section of our website: GAP

If you'd like to help provide financial support to Gillette families for their medical expenses please visit this section of our website: Donate