Samuel Gluck Leaves Endowment to Fund Indigent Patients' Care

Indigent patients at National Jewish Health have received an early holiday gift: a permanent endowment to pay for their care thanks to the late Samuel Gluck of Southfield, Mich., who left a generous bequest to create the Fannie Gluck and Katy Bodansky Endowment for Indigent Care. The endowment is named for Mr. Gluck's mother and sister.

The Fannie Gluck and Katy Bodansky Endowment for Indigent Care will assist patients who need help paying for all or part of their care. The fund will help cover the costs of physician visits, medical tests, rehabilitation therapy, mental health counseling and prescriptions. National Jewish Health has a strong tradition of providing charity care to patients from throughout the country, and the current recession has greatly increased the demand for such care. As compared to 2008, charity care provided by National Jewish Health rose 70 percent to $11.4 million dollars.

Mr. Gluck, who grew up in Detroit and lived in Michigan until his death in October, began giving to National Jewish Health in 1972 after his friend's son was treated at the Denver institution and "came back a changed man." His wish-to give where it would do the most good-will be realized as the endowment helps people without means to find treatment for their respiratory, cardiac, immune and related diseases at the medical and research facility with international renown.

National Jewish Health is known worldwide for treatment of patients with respiratory, cardiac, immune and related disorders, and for groundbreaking medical research. Founded in 1899 as a nonprofit hospital, National Jewish remains the only facility in the world dedicated exclusively to these disorders. For 12 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked National Jewish the #1 respiratory hospital in the nation. Scholarly publisher Thomson Scientific has ranked National Jewish among the 25 most influential research institutions in the world in its areas of focus.