Patient Advocate Foundation

**Our Mission ** Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) is a national 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization which provides case management services and financial aid to Americans with chronic, life threatening and debilitating illnesses. **Our Equity Value Statement** Equity moves us forward, calling us to address the legacy of deeply established societal inequities in healthcare and workplace systems. We identify and eliminate barriers to equitable access in the healthcare systems that our patients utilize and in the workplace our staff experience. We commit to diversity and inclusion strategies that enable equitable outcomes in our leadership, practices, policies, operations and organizational systems because doing so strengthens our ability to deliver on our mission. **Our History** Nancy Davenport-Ennis, Founder of Patient Advocate Foundation became involved in legislative reform on behalf of cancer patients while a dear friend of hers, Cheryl Grimmel, was battling both breast cancer and her insurance company. As Cheryl valiantly fought her fight, Nancy volunteered with the Virginia Task Force for Insurance Reform - sharing the previously underrepresented patient’s perspective and fought to reform insurance coverage for cancer patients. Victory for the task force came with the passage of Virginia House Bill 240 sponsored by Delegate Mary T. Christian in 1994. Cheryl lost her battle with breast cancer in December 1994, and on the night of her funeral, as the rest of the world was ringing in the New Year, Nancy and Jack Ennis wrote business plans for two complementary nonprofit organizations geared towards solving the issues faced by patients like their friend Cheryl. National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF) and Patient Advocate Foundation were born in concept that night and became a reality shortly thereafter. Cheryl's strength in the face of her battle serves as an inspiration to those at Patient Advocate Foundation as they work and interact with patients in need. Our case managers advocate and mediate on behalf of patients to provide avenues of access for therapies, therapeutic agents and devices deemed medically efficacious by the medical and scientific communities while working to find sources of reimbursement to pay for care.