Southwest Airlines donated 7,500 roundtrip flights for people who need “life-changing or specialized medical care” as part of their Medical Transportation Grant Program, the company announced Tuesday.
The donation, which covers about 75 hospitals and medical transportation organizations in 26 states, was valued at $3 million, according to a news release.
Loving people is at the Heart of Southwest, and one of the ways we do that is through our Medical Transportation Grant Program. In 2021 we’re donating 7,500 tickets to help remove the financial burden for those who need to travel for life-changing or specialized medical care.
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) March 2, 2021
“Through our Medical Transportation Grant Program, our hope is to ease the financial burden of air travel expenses and provide a critical lifeline for patients and caregivers, allowing them to stay focused on medical treatment and recovery”, said Laura Nieto, the director of community outreach. (RELATED: Southwest Plane Returns To Gate After 2 Year-Old Removes Mask)
“The program was created to provide much-needed assistance to medical patients and their family members who are traveling for specialized life-saving or life-changing medical care,” according to Southwest.
Since the program was launched in 2007, the airline donated $39 million and helped 96,000 patients and caregivers, Fox News reported.