DIRECt emergency financial assistance (Defa)
Through a partnership with the late local entrepreneur, Phil Denton, The Health Foundation created the Gregory R. Powers Direct Emergency Financial Assistance (DEFA) program in the late 1990s to provide needed assistance to Hoosiers living with HIV/AIDS in emergency situations. DEFA funds are distributed by The Health Foundation to grantees that provide hands-on care management and assistance including The Damien Center, Eskenazi Hospital (formerly Wishard Hospital) and the LifeCare program at IU Health Methodist Hospital.
These agencies then administer DEFA funds to meet the individual emergency needs of individuals living with HIV. In 2019, DEFA funds provided assistance to 4,819 patients. Here is how the funds were used: