St Jude accused of hoarding its money

Any response from Marlo?

(You know she's a frequent visitor here.)

Has the Shriners dwarf weighed in?

OP = Alec and Caleb from Shriners Hospital.

Op is quite a cunt.

It's all going to diamonds ...daisies ...snowflakes ...

You if had a kid with cancer, not having to pay for trips to Memphis, receiving free hotel accommodations and not having to pay for food you can't care about the money they have in reserve. That reserve will take care of future sick kids.

I want a full accounting of executives' salaries.

Cosmetic surgery isn'free, you know. I'm the face of St. Jude's now- am I supposed to pay for everything?

And who stole my dress?!

Has anyone received the "Adorable" blanket from the Shriner's?

....

All those ruined glass dining tables add up.

You mean *adowable*, r9.

Back in the day, the ads for this charity annoyed the hell out of me on TV. No wonder their advertising budget.

[quote] am I supposed to pay for everything?

Repainting an entire hospital after the sponsor is displeased with the original color is not cheap.

What do want me to do? Live on cold cuts and white bread?

Constantly having to replace the help is not cheap.

This is a non issue story.

Well, they sure didn't spend it on spokesmodels.

Have they investigated the ASPCA and United States Humane Society who have millions to run TV ads? I give to two local animals shelters who I know really need the money.

Jennifer Aniston took all the money!

You make more money by keeping it in the bank, it's called interest and not a secret.

Hey Jude, don't make it bad.

Take this sad song and make it better.

It sounds to me like they're fiscally responsible. They don't charge their patients anything, they have a steady revenue stream from donations, and they have a budget surplus. The government could learn a lot from them.

That's a lot of glass coffee tables.

Total non-story. The patients don't pay for anything (their employers' insurance or the government pay for much), and the surplus goes to build their endowment to help future generations of sick kids. I don't see what's wrong with that.

R24, are you also R11?

Years ago a doctor friend told me she soured on St. Jude’s when she called to ask if it would take an uninsured patient with a rare cancer.

Despite advertising that it downs turn anyone away, St Jude said no.

R25, what’s wrong with that is that’s not what it says when it’s asking for money.

Red Cross got into a lot of trouble when it fundraiser during catastrophes and did tell the public most of the money goes into a fund for future aid.

[Quote] It sounds to me like they're fiscally responsible. They don't charge their patients anything, they have a steady revenue stream from donations, and they have a budget surplus. The government could learn a lot from them.

Should the government also raise money by lying to people?

[Quote] Have they investigated the ASPCA and United States Humane Society who have millions to run TV ads? I give to two local animals shelters who I know really need the money.

It’s the classic—look over there, not at the subject at hand!

How are they lying exactly, R29?

[Quote] You if had a kid with cancer, not having to pay for trips to Memphis, receiving free hotel accommodations and not having to pay for food you can't care about the money they have in reserve.

St Jude’s claims that’s what the donations are for… but only 2% goes to that.

[Quote] How are they lying exactly, [R29]?

When they claim the money will go to help sick kids. It doesn’t mention anything about a huge portion going to administration costs and that most of the care is also reimbursed by insurance

St Jude advertises that none of their patients receive a bill, which is true. And that's because of donations.

[Quote] How are they lying exactly, [[R29]]?

According to the article, St Jude’s is rich beyond measure, with a reserve that is more than the 9 hospitals ranked ahead of it put together. It doesn’t need you money.

[Quote] St Jude advertises that none of their patients receive a bill, which is true. And that's because of donations.

And the fact that most patients are insured

I live in Memphis and each year they hold a raffle for the St, Jude Dream Home. Each ticket is 100.00 and yes, people actually win a brand new house. They haveother prizes too, cars and other stuff. They do a lot of good for the kids so I can't hate on them.

[Quote] 30% covered the cost of its fundraising operations

That’s unconscionable. I’m sure much of its fundraising is handled in-house which means more profits for the hospital!

[quote]Only about half of the $7.3 billion St. Jude has received in contributions in the past five fiscal years went to the hospital’s research and caring for patients, according to its financial filings with the Internal Revenue Service. About 30% covered the cost of its fundraising operations, and the remaining 20%, or $1 of every $5 donated, increased its reserve fund.

Per the article, HALF of the money they took in went toward research and patient care, 30% went toward fundraising, and 20% went into reserve funds. I don't see a problem with any of that.

[Quote] St Jude advertises that none of their patients receive a bill, which is true. And that's because of donations.

Not sure how that works with the statement in the article: “Non-insured families are assisted in finding insurance, St. Jude does cover copays and deductibles.”

How ya gonna figure THIS ONE out, Emily Callahan!? Jumping from one fraud organization to another. What does Jesus think of this!?

[quote]According to the article, St Jude’s is rich beyond measure, with a reserve that is more than the 9 hospitals ranked ahead of it put together. It doesn’t need you money.

Maybe the article should be asking why those other 9 hospitals are in such financial disarray?

^ sorry, just read that. It seems that St Jude’s pays for copays for insured patients

R39, yet, St Jude’s keeps pushing that the fundraising is to help kids in need travel and their parents getting accommodations.

Only 2% goes to that.

It’s a big money making machine.

It doesn’t do anything more than what other childrens cancer hospitals do.

They don’t need any money from me.

[Quote] Maybe the article should be asking why those other 9 hospitals are in such financial disarray?

They’re certainly not in disarray. They aren’t trying to bilk you by creating advertising that they are somehow more wonderful than others

Now, because this article has come out, it will do the typical counter advertising. Now we will have to endure double the number of TV ads fromSt Jude’s and it’s creepy child-adult

[quote] Years ago a doctor friend told me she soured on St. Jude’s when she called to ask if it would take an uninsured patient with a rare cancer. Despite advertising that it downs turn anyone away, St Jude said no.

Maybe it had to do with the cancer, you yourself called rare. Perhaps there is no cure or treatment and not because of no insurance.

[quote] Have they investigated the ASPCA and United States Humane Society who have millions to run TV ads?

Next to the ASPCA and Humane Society commercials, the Operation Smile commercials are the worst. They manipulate in a similar manner.

If the families have insurance then it should cover whatever amount the policy is supposed to cover. if St. Jude pays for all the family's out of pocket expenses and co-pays I don't see where any problem is.

Shriners Hospital commercials are the worst.

The worst are the fundamentalist preachers. Third-grade con men telling the poor suckers that watch them that they speak with Jesus, and to please send in money. Money, money, money! If Jesus came back and saw what's going on in his name, he'd never stop throwing up.

[quote]Should the government also raise money by lying to people?

You mean it doesn't?

[Quote] Maybe it had to do with the cancer, you yourself called rare. Perhaps there is no cure or treatment and not because of no insurance.

When would a hospital ever ethically say no to a patient even if it’s incurable? I know the details of the story. It was about the kid not being insured.

[Quote] If the families have insurance then it should cover whatever amount the policy is supposed to cover. if St. Jude pays for all the family's out of pocket expenses and co-pays I don't see where any problem is.

If their goal was just to pay the $50 co-pays, they wouldn’t be paying millions to advertise. They are also making massive profits, disguised as high salaries for the Board and first class travel for everyone involved.

I keep telling my mother not to donate to any charities that have huge TV advertising campaigns. They obviously have tons of money to spend and aren't spending charitably.

They are smartly managing their money... good for them...

They are begging for money on TV and making it seem like it transports sick kids and their parents with the contributions . It doesn’t.

Why doesn’t it just tell the truth-“we use only 50% for actual healthcare.”

It’s as if the Rockefeller’s were on TV asking for money

What does the Rockefeller possess?

I don't think they're being accused of fraud, but they definitely have high admin costs, and their reserves are way too high.

I think it’s a similar argument made about many colleges, that tuition keeps going up and up, and the colleges are hoarding revenue and endowment money and pretending they are just holding it together financially. No money for full time faculty, but let’s build a new stadium or entertainment complex for the dormitories.

The Rockefellers really established Memorial-Sloan Kettering, as well was Planned Parenthoods and the Rockefeller Foundation which established training hospitals all over the world.

[quote] Maybe the article should be asking why those other 9 hospitals are in such financial disarray?

If you read the article you would know that those other 9 hospitals actually take care of kids that don't have insurance. St Jude's doesn't do that

This reminds me of the Cancer Centers of America where they made it sound so easy to get cured but they only took a handful of patients.

Universities of course do the same thing. They just call it an endowment.

I have no problem with St. Jude or Shriner's Hospital For Kids, other than all the money they spend on advertising. The one I despise for their deceptive advertising is Cancer Treatment Centers Of America. They tout their high cure rates but what they don't tell is that they only accept patients they feel they have an excellent chance at curing. They'll do an examination on you, but if you're too far gone they just tell you to go home and get your affairs in order. So of course their cure rate looks better than most other hospitals. They also lie and say they have ways of doing things to cure people other hospitals don't have. That's a lie.

Most of these " high profile charities" seem to be scammers

I always refer to child cancer as "Mother's Little Helper".

Has Marlo destroyed a Christmas tree in rage at this news?

[quote] Jennifer Aniston took all the money!

She probably felt a need for having to fake having interest in having coffee and playing Chinese checkers with kids.

I totally believe Shriner’s cheapnout on patient cate and supportive, ancillary services for patients and families. I did some clinical hours un pediatrics at a Shriner’s when I was studying for my FNP. I hated it so much and didn’t learn shit, so asked to to another facility. The whole place was very paternalistic and run on a top-down manner, with fucking ancient physicians with out of date mindsets and practices calling the shots, and residents/ fellows/ NPs kowtowing to them.

So many patients got just barely adequate care and nothing more. Case in point, when I tried to advocate for a recently paralyzed from the waist down female teenage patient to receive mental health support, I was branded as someone who needed to stay in his lane. I didn’t run the show, the ancient MDs did and they didn’t think the patient needed mental health services even after she was very depressed and refused all physical therapy when she should’ve been getting them. All she dud was watch tv or sleep.

I left after a month of seeing several patients and families be treated like orphans in a Victorian poorhouse, that they should be thankful for getting any kind of care. The Shriner’s while I was there also had some slummy sets of fellows, from foreign medical schools that were decidedly not first or second tier. It made them easier to control for the most part.

^^^Sorry for typos, I’m typing on iPhone.

I read the Propublica article. I have mixed views. They weren't covering lodging for more than one parent/caregiver of a patient and a guy had to sleep in his truck in the parking lot. A mother of another patient had issues because she had to seek other assistance for car payments and cell phone service. I would say the issues with them not covering all travel and lodging expesnes are valid. But, the complaints about wanting or not getting assistance for rent/mortgage, car payments, and other bills go a little too far.

When did Aniston start doing the St Jude's adverts? I could see it if Marlo roped her in whilst playing her mother on 'Friends', but that was almost 20 years ago for Marlo's last appearance on 'Friends'.

I answered my own question: Aniston didn't begin appearing in St Jude's adverts until 2008. And even then, people felt like she was phoning it it and being a sarcastic bitch. (IMHO, it seems she was playing herself.)

So did Marlo have something on Jen, or was it one of those casual, "Yeah, okay, I'll do your charity thing." And then Marlo and Phil held her to it and threatened her with the ghost of Danny Thomas' feces on her glass coffee table?

[quote] The Rockefellers really established Memorial-Sloan Kettering, as well was Planned Parenthoods and the Rockefeller Foundation which established training hospitals all over the world.

And they didn't go on TV to beg for money to do it.

I always thought St Jude and Shriners were the same. That's how much I've been paying attention to their ads.

I also live in Memphis, and have known many people over the years who have worked there. There are definitely some semi-shady things there, but mainly I just want to say it’s ST. JUDE not ST. JUDE’S!!!

R78, get off your high horse. We have a St Jude's Ranch here in Vegas and I got them mixed up. Good fuck, get a life.

R28, a friend's family was helped by the American Red Cross. A few months later received a letter requesting a donation equal to what Red Cross said they spent helping them. During WWII in Europe, the Red Cross charged soldiers for cigarettes donated by tobacco companies, while the Salvation Army was giving them free.

I definitely don’t trust Marlo Thomas.

These are just more examples of what I've said for decades. If it's advertised on TV I am automatically suspicious of it's legitimacy.

R80 Those of us with WWII fathers know how hated the Red Cross was by the troops.

I assume charities that heavily advertise on tv have high fundraising costs and if you did a bit, this is usually: World Wildlife Fund, St Jude, etc.

Cancer Centers of America promote their success stories. When a friend called the Philadelphia location for her husband, she was told they didn't treat his type of cancer.

I was a doorman at a theater when EARTHQUAKE opened, r83. The manager had the staff wear blue Red Cross Disaster Services jumpsuits and hardhats. I was taking the bus to work one day and an old man kept making loud disparaging comments about the Red Cross. I didn't say anything, but it made the bus ride longer.

Wounded Warriors is another fishy organization. A few years ago, two people near the top of the organization were caught flying first class and staying in expensive hotels.

Has anyone looked into see if Sofia "I had cancer" Vergara may have taken money from St Jude?

Now I'm glad I was too cheap to donate whenever I ordered Dominos.

The one cancer in kids they can pretty much cure these days and I mean cure in the sense we all agree on is leukemia. To me that is amazing. Plus now they're saying with CRISPR we can start choosing eye color and such. That's even scarier.

Plus we're finally figuring out how cancers start - it's all mutation because of a gene or an epi-genetic cause. If you can fix the mutation you cure the person.

Steven Seagal’s child was treated at St. Jude. From what I’ve heard, everyone there hated Steven. He was weird and treated everyone from the top, doctors on down, like shit.

R91 I live in Memphis and heard rumors about him around town that he was an asshole.

[quote]The Rockefellers really established Memorial-Sloan Kettering, as well was Planned Parenthoods and the Rockefeller Foundation which established training hospitals all over the world.

They also established Rockefeller University. It's a private school for medical research and it's right across the street from Sloan Kettering. I did a clinical rotation there. It's first rate

The Rockefeller’s also bought a lot of land and donated it all to the state as park land.