HAMILITON FISH WEBSTER MEDICAL FUND
The Hamilton Fish Webster Medical Fund Charitable Organization provides financial assistance for Medical Expenses
Upon his death in 1939, Hamilton Fish Webster established a trust under his last will and testament, the net income of which to be used to provide funds to supply medical or surgical care to "middle class" residents of Aquidneck Island (Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth).
The funds were intended for those individuals who do not have sufficient funds to meet unexpected medical expenses.
The Hamilton Fish Webster Medical Fund commenced in 1952, upon the death of Mr. Webster's wife, the former Lena Post.
During their lives, the Websters were residents of Newport and lived at the Pen Craig estate on Harrison Avenue.
Since its inception, the Hamilton Fish Webster Medical Fund has assisted nearly 2,000 individuals with medical expenses.
The fund is managed by a board of trustees representing Newport Hospital, Bank of America, Trinity Church and Emmanuel Church.
The board meets monthly to review applications for assistance. Recipients of the fund are kept strictly confidential by the trustees.
In establishing the trust, Mr. Webster specifically disqualified applicants for financial help who are eligible for public assistance, or any person who has sufficient funds to meet the emergency caused by illness. His position was that neither the very rich nor the very poor suffer financial hardship when faced with large medical expenses, as other funds are available for those individuals.
Requests for financial assistance with the payment of medical expenses for qualified individuals requires completion of an application form. The Application form may be downloaded from this web site or may be may be obtained by written request to:
Requests may be sent to
Hamilton Fish Webster Medical Fund
Attention: Secretary
278 Broadway
Newport, RI 02840
Or by sending an email to: william.brownell@verizon.net