TMA’s PBF Disaster Relief Fund provides financial support to help Texas physicians recover and restore their medical practices when natural disaster strikes, such as hurricanes Harvey and Rita.
Since 2005, the fund has given more than $1.5 million to help some 2,000 physicians reestablish the delivery of medical care in areas of Texas affected by disasters.
Eligibility
Funds are available to physician practices in counties within a disaster declaration by the U.S. president who need help to reestablish medical care following a catastrophic event, including a fire, flood, or explosion. The TMA Board of Trustees determines whether to activate the fund following qualifying disaster declarations.
To apply, physicians must have a valid Texas medical license and be in active medical practice with plans to restore/rebuild their place of business.
Testimonials from PBF Disaster Relief Fund Recipients
“The challenges facing a rural health clinic in today’s health care environment can be many without the added burden of putting a clinic back together after the devastation of a hurricane. Your financial assistance has gone a long way in helping us get our doors open more quickly so we may continue to provide the excellent medical care our patients have come to expect and deserve.”
– Port Lavaca Clinic Associates, following Hurricane Harvey in 2017
“The office sat in 32 inches of Class III water for approximately five days. Needless to say, we lost every piece of equipment including my ultrasounds. You can surely realize how hard it was to practice modern obstetrics and gynecology without an ultrasound. Your gift allowed me to purchase a very fine late-model 2D ultrasound.”
– Charles R. Moses, MD, Port Arthur, following Hurricane Harvey
“Thank you for your generosity to mitigate the suffering caused by our ‘friend’ Harvey. It was a timely gift indeed and will help our clinic keep its doors open to serve our community.”
– Sanjeev Bhatia, MD, Victoria, following Hurricane Harvey
“It is not easy to be in the position of accepting assistance, but it is heartwarming to see the care, concern, and generosity of so many.”
– Steven M. Croft, MD, Houston, following Hurricane Harvey
“Our office in League City was not damaged due to the storm and because we were concerned with the unavailability of medical care in Galveston, we provided free transportation for our patients from Galveston to League City. Since so many of our patients are elderly and had no transportation, this service was helpful to many of them.”
– The Eye Clinic of Texas, following Hurricane Ike in 2009
Donations
Your contribution to The PBF Family of Assistance Funds or any of the three The PBF Family of Assistance Funds, can make a difference in a physician’s life.
The PBF is a 501(c)(3) organization, so charitable contribution(s) are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by federal law.
Here’s how to help:
- Donate online.
- Mail a check, payable to PBF Disaster Relief Fund, to: TMA Physicians Benevolent Fund, c/o Finance Department, 401 W. 15th St., Austin, TX 78701-1680.
Contact Information
For more information, email disaster@texmed.org.