Ridgedale Baptist Church, in Chattanooga, TN, exists to demonstrate the love of Christ by serving as Jesus served. We love the people of our community, and take joy in meeting practical needs whenever we can. Medical debt is a significant concern for millions of Americans. In the U.S. in 2023, half of working adults reported that it is difficult or somewhat difficult to afford medical care, and many skip needed appointments because of medical debt (www.commonwealthfund.org).

In Hamilton and Bradley counties in TN, between 18 and 20% of medical debt is in collections (www.thinktennessee.org). In Georgia, 19% of medical debt is in collections, (www.georgiawatch.org).

To impact our community for good, Ridgedale Baptist Church is partnering with Undue Medical Debt to help those in our community burdened with medical debt. Contributions to this campaign ensure that every penny goes directly towards reducing the burden of medical debt in Hamilton and Bradley counties in Tennessee and Catoosa County GA.  

How It Works:

  1. Undue Medical Debt uses data analytics to pinpoint the debt of those most in need: households that earn less than 4x the federal poverty level (varies by state and family size) or whose debts are 5% or more of annual income.
  2. Undue Medical Debt buys medical debt at a steep discount. They buy debt in bundles –  millions of dollars at a time, at a fraction of the original cost. This means your donation relieves about 100x its value in medical debt. For every $1 donated, $100 medical debt can be abolished.
  3. Together, we wipe out medical debt. Recipients have no tax consequences or penalties to consider.

At the heart of the gospel is the payment of our debt. Medical debt is a heavy load. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest” Matt 11:27 CEB. Our desire and privilege is to take away some of the heavy load of medical debt, so that people in our community can get back on their feet financially, and experience real rest.

To learn more about Ridgedale Baptist Church please visit  www.ridgedalebaptist.org