Current:Home > NewsHelton teams up with organization to eliminate $10 million in medical bills for Colorado residents-InfoLens
Helton teams up with organization to eliminate $10 million in medical bills for Colorado residents
View Date:2024-12-23 15:30:22
DENVER (AP) — Retired Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton is teaming up with the organization RIP Medical Debt to help eliminate $10 million in medical bills for residents around the state.
The program is set to start later this month, with recipients around Colorado receiving letters that notify them their medical bills have been paid in full. Medical expenses have been among the leading causes for bankruptcy in the United States.
Helton, who retired in 2013 and is the franchise’s all-time leader in many statistical categories, said in a release Monday that he drew inspiration from his friend and philanthropist Ryan ‘Jume’ Jumonville.
“(He) recently took care of $100 (million) in medical debt for the people in his home state of Florida,” Helton said. “I ... wanted to do something similar for the people of Colorado.”
Helton worked with Jumonville in 2004, when the tandem donated money to health care programs in order to help University of Tennessee system employees.
RIP Medical Debt is a charity that aims to abolish medical bills for those who need financial assistance. Since 2014, the not-for-profit organization has aided more than 6.5 million people in eliminating more than $10 billion in medical debt.
“Medical debt is not only a financial burden; it also creates enormous mental health strain on patients and their families,” RIP President & CEO Allison Sesso said in a statement. “We’re grateful to Todd and Ryan for lifting up this critical issue and directly helping Coloradans who need it most.”
Helton spent his entire professional baseball career with the Rockies after being picked in the first round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. His No. 17 was retired by Colorado on Aug. 17, 2014.
The 50-year-old Helton won a National League batting title in 2000 when he hit .372. Helton was a five-time All-Star and won the Gold Glove three times for his fielding at first base.
Helton has been steadily gaining votes in his bid to make the Hall of Fame.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
veryGood! (4367)
Related
- RHOBH's Erika Jayne Reveals Which Team She's on Amid Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley Feud
- Woman Details How Botox Left Her Paralyzed From Rare Complication
- Mississippi Supreme Court affirms a death row inmate’s convictions in the killings of 8 people
- Nevada GOP governor stands by Trump amid legal battles, distances himself from GOP ‘fake electors’
- She was found dead while hitchhiking in 1974. An arrest has finally been made.
- Camila Cabello opens up about reconciling with ex-boyfriend Shawn Mendes: 'It was a fun moment'
- Fact Focus: Claims Biden administration is secretly flying migrants into the country are unfounded
- Panel says the next generation of online gambling will be more social, engaged and targeted
- Opinion: Chris Wallace leaves CNN to go 'where the action' is. Why it matters
- 'A lot of fun with being diabolical': Theo James on new Netflix series 'The Gentlemen'
Ranking
- See Megan Fox, Machine Gun Kelly, Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess' Blended Family Photos
- United Airlines plane makes a safe emergency landing in LA after losing a tire during takeoff
- Fact Focus: Claims Biden administration is secretly flying migrants into the country are unfounded
- 'Survivor' season 46: Who was voted off and why was there a Taylor Swift, Metallica battle
- Voyager 2 is the only craft to visit Uranus. Its findings may have misled us for 40 years.
- Texas' largest-ever wildfire that killed at least 2 apparently ignited by power company facilities, company says
- Why Elon Musk and so many others are talking about birth control right now
- Watch kids' cute reaction after deployed dad sneaks into family photo to surprise them
Recommendation
-
Full House's John Stamos Shares Message to Costar Dave Coulier Amid Cancer Battle
-
Panel says the next generation of online gambling will be more social, engaged and targeted
-
Crew of the giant Icon of the Seas cruise ship rescues 14 people adrift in the sea
-
Bill that could make TikTok unavailable in the US advances quickly in the House
-
Why California takes weeks to count votes, while states like Florida are faster
-
Was Facebook down on Super Tuesday? Users reported outages on primary election day
-
Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, once allies, no longer see eye to eye. Here's why.
-
Xcel Energy 'acknowledges' role in sparking largest wildfire in Texas history