Jill A. Hanau – Paying it Forward Through Philanthropy
For Jill, Silver Hill Hospital has been a critical resource and place of healing throughout her family's experiences with mental health and substance use disorders. Six members of Jill's family across four generations, including Jill herself, have been treated at Silver Hill, spanning the 1950s until the present day. Jill understands how vital it is to know where to turn to seek help when you, or a loved one, needs it most. She knows she can rely on the expert care of the Silver Hill clinical staff and their willingness to take on the most complex and challenging cases.
When asked to sum up her feelings about Silver Hill, Jill chose the word gratitude. "For me, gratitude is the key theme. I realize how lucky I am to have a psychiatric hospital of the caliber of Silver Hill in my community and how fortunate I am to have the resources to afford the exceptional treatment and support that Silver Hill provides its patients and their families."
Paying it forward – through philanthropy – is an important value for Jill. She embodies this through the support of multiple charities that have played a role in her life or are close to her heart. When Jill's estate planning attorney asked whether she wanted to leave any gifts to charity in her will, Jill immediately thought of Silver Hill. "It made sense to me to leave charitable gifts to continue to support the causes that mean the most to me. That is why I am happy to support Silver Hill through a gift in my will. Silver Hill has always been there for me and for my family in times of crisis, and I want to be able to pay that forward so that other families can benefit from the outstanding care that Silver Hill provides. That is why I am choosing to direct one of my charitable bequests to Silver Hill and specifically to support the Patient Financial Aid Fund."
Silver Hill's Patient Financial Aid Fund offers need-based assistance to patients who could otherwise not afford treatment. Jill has chosen to create her own endowed Patient Financial Aid Fund – the Jill A. Hanau Patient Financial Aid Fund – which she has begun by directing her annual gifts to kick off the fund so that she can see the difference she is making today in people's lives. Jill will continue to make annual gifts to grow the fund and has directed her bequest to be added to the fund at the time of her death.
By combining both current gifts and a bequest in her will, Jill is maximizing the impact of her philanthropy and creating a fund that will remain, in perpetuity, to support those in need. "It provides me with a lot of good feeling to know that through the creation of the Jill A. Hanau Patient Financial Aid Fund, I will be helping future generations of people who are in crisis get the help they need, regardless of whether their insurance adequately covers mental health treatment, or whether they have the financial resources to pay for it out of pocket."
