Southwest Airlines Co. recently announced this year’s winners of the Southwest Airlines Medical Transportation Grant Program (MTGP).
This year, there are 79 recipients, all nonprofit hospitals and medical organizations.
Recipients receive roundtrip tickets throughout 2018 for caregivers and/or patients to alleviate the travel expenses related to medical issues. The tickets allow these people to travel without worrying about the financial expense.
The program provides access to 100 medical facilities in 26 states and 41 cities.
“Southwest is proud to continue to offer travel assistance to those patients and caregivers in need through our Medical Transportation Grant Program,” Linda Rutherford, Southwest Airlines senior vice president and chief communications officer, said. “Travel is often a critical part of getting patients the care they need — we hope to make that journey just a little bit easier for those families in such a trying time.”
Each hospital or organization has its own guidelines for the distribution of tickets, and patients and caregivers are encouraged to contact facilities to see if they qualify.
MTGP was founded in 2007 and has provided more than 69,000 tickets, valued at more than $27.6 million.
Last year, Southwest provided more than $4 million in free transportation to 90 hospitals and organizations.