DALLAS, April 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest
Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) announced today that 73 nonprofit
hospitals and medical organizations from across the nation will
benefit from the Southwest Airlines® 2016 Medical Transportation
Grant Program, with the total impact reaching 97 facilities.
Through the program, participating nonprofit hospitals and medical
programs provide complimentary, roundtrip air travel to families
who need to travel for specialized medical care to lessen the
financial burden of serious illness.
"Southwest Airlines has a nearly 45-year tradition of treating
our Employees and Customers like family. Families support
each other during both good and challenging times, and we're
honored to be able to serve our communities during a time of great
need," said Linda Rutherford,
Southwest Airlines Vice President and Chief Communications Officer.
"The opportunity to connect someone to the things that are most
important in their life drives us to find a network of hospitals
and organizations that support this mission and provide the best
possible treatment to their patients."
Since the Southwest Airlines Medical Transportation Grant
Program's inception in 2007, more than $19.6
million in free transportation has been distributed to
organizations in 26 states. "I knew this was one of those
situations where I needed to be home, no matter the cost," shares
Sarah Zawatski, a caregiver to her
mother who received treatment at Banner University Medical Center
Phoenix. "With this generous gift, I was able to fly out and not
give too much care to the cost of the airline ticket. My care and
attention needed to be focused on my mom."
In 2016, Southwest will provide more than $3.2 million in free transportation to caregivers
and patients seeking medical treatment. Participating hospitals
include:
Angel Flight Central, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Banner
University Medical Center Phoenix Transplant Center, Barnes-Jewish
Hospital, Cedars-Sinai, Children's Hospital & Medical Center,
Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation, Children's Hospital
Corporation, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Hospital
of Alabama, Children's Hospital of
Orange County, Children's Hospital
of Pittsburgh Foundation, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Inc., Children's Medical Center
Foundation, Children's Mercy, Children's National Hospital, Cook
Children's, Craig Hospital Foundation, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Dell Children's Hospital, Emory Healthcare, Froedtert
Hospital Foundation Inc., Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare,
Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation, Long Island Jewish
Health System , Loyola University
Health Systems, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford,
Massachusetts General Hospital, MedStar
Washington Hospital Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,
Mercy Medical Angels, Mercy Medical Center, Miracle Flights for Kids, National Foundation
for Facial Reconstruction for NYU Langone Medical Center,
Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ohio State
University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Patient Airlift
Services, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Piedmont Healthcare
Foundation, Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, a Division of
Duke University Health System, Inc.,
Rady Children's Hospital Foundation - San
Diego, Riley Children's Hospital-IU Health, Rush University Medical Center, Scripps Health,
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle Children's Hospital, Shepherd
Center, Shriners Hospitals for Children, SSM St. Mary's Health
Center Foundation, St. Joseph's
Foundation and Barrow Neurological Foundation, St. Jude Children's
Research Hospital, St. Louis Children's Hospital Foundation, St.
Luke's Foundation, Stanford Health Care, Tampa General Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital,
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children, The Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia, The
Cleveland Clinic Foundation, The Johns Hopkins Hospital & Johns
Hopkins Children's Hospital, The Nemours Foundation, Children's
Hospital, The University of Texas MD
Anderson Cancer Center, UCLA Medical Center, UCSF Benioff
Children's Hospital Oakland, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital
San Francisco, University Hospitals
Case Medical Center, University Medical Center Tucson, formerly
University of Arizona Medical Center,
University Medical Center, Lubbock/University Medical Center Foundation,
University of Chicago Medicine,
University of Illinois Hospital &
Health Science Systems, University of
Minnesota Medical Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center,
Vanderbilt University Medical
Center
Visit the NUTS About Southwest blog and
www.southwest.com/medicalgrant to learn more about the positive
impact of the Medical Transportation Grant Program. To learn about
qualifications for travel assistance through the designated
organizations, please contact the Social Work, Travel/Concierge
Service, or Patient Assistance Department directly at the hospitals
and medical organizations listed above, as each has unique
guidelines for the administration of tickets.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 45th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines
(NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other air
carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than
49,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers annually.
Southwest proudly operates a network of 97 destinations across
the United States and seven
additional countries with more than 3,900 departures a day during
peak travel season. Service to Long
Beach, California, our 98th city, will begin
June 5, 2016.
Based on the U.S. Department of Transportation's most recent
data, Southwest Airlines is the nation's largest carrier in terms
of originating domestic passengers boarded. The Company operates
the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in the world, the majority of
which are equipped with satellite-based WiFi providing gate-to-gate
connectivity. That connectivity enables Customers to use
their personal devices to view video on-demand movies and
television shows, as well as more than 20 channels of free, live TV
compliments of our valued Partners. Southwest created
Transfarency℠, a philosophy which treats Customers honestly
and fairly, and in which low fares actually stay low. Southwest is
the only major U.S. airline to offer bags fly free® to
everyone (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and
weight limits apply, some airlines may allow free checked bags on
select routes or for qualified circumstances), and there are no
change fees, though fare differences might apply. In 2014, the
airline proudly unveiled a bold new look: Heart.
The new aircraft livery, airport experience, and logo, showcase the
dedication of Southwest Employees to connect Customers with what's
important in their lives.
From its first flights on June 18,
1971, Southwest Airlines launched an era of unprecedented
affordability in air travel described by the U.S. Department of
Transportation as "The Southwest Effect," a lowering of fares and
increase in passenger traffic whenever the carrier enters new
markets. With 43 consecutive years of profitability,
Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known
for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the carrier's
performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the
communities they serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and
the planet. The 2014 Southwest Airlines One Report™ can be found
at SouthwestOneReport.com.
Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online
at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.