Hemophilia of Georgia

Longtime partnership supports Hemophilia of Georgia’s community of care

Hemophilia of Georgia is an organization that focuses on the relationship its staff builds with each person they serve. 

And that’s exactly why Hemophilia of Georgia banks with Ameris. 

“We greatly appreciate the relationship that we have with Ameris, and that stems back a long time,” says Rob Maloney, chief executive officer of the nonprofit organization. “There’s certain things you can evaluate — staff, flow of dollars, metrics, that sort of thing — but sitting down with them is such a breath of fresh air to hear them say, ‘Hey, Rob, we’ve got your back.’”

In fact, Hemophilia of Georgia has been partnering with Ameris for 34 years. 

“Much like Hemophilia of Georgia, Ameris is built on relationships,” says Scott Cleveland, Ameris North Atlanta market president.

An ally in the bleeding disorder community

Founded in 1973, Hemophilia of Georgia provides comprehensive clinical care and psychosocial services to people with bleeding disorders in Georgia. It partners with and funds five Hemophilia Treatment Center clinics around the state so that all patients can have access to healthcare services to manage their bleeding disorder, including hemophilia.   

Its goal is to provide accessible, expert services that empower individuals with bleeding disorders to lead healthier, more independent lives. In addition to clinical and pharmacy services, the organization offers an array of services including personalized in home nursing, telehealth clinical services, educational outreach, community education related to the management of bleeding disorders, community advocacy, counseling, distribution of medical support supplies and kids’ play safety gear, and financial support for health insurance, uncovered medical costs, healthcare-related transportation and lodging, tutoring and scholarships.

“It's a great organization where we partner with individual hospitals, help individual patients and then, much like Ameris' mission statement of working with communities and really partnering with them, it really is a partnership of love for our patients,” Mahoney says.

It’s all about the summer camp

One of its cornerstone programs is a weeklong residential summer camp for children with bleeding disorders. 

Most camps are not set up to handle a potential medical emergency for a child with a bleeding disorder. Camp Wannaklot makes it possible for children with hemophilia or other bleeding disorders to enjoy horseback riding, canoeing, mountain biking, arts and crafts, swimming, basketball, tennis, archery and the camaraderie that comes with a traditional summer camp experience.

“When you strip everything else away — our hemophilia treatment status, the social work, the nursing — we exist so we can have a weeklong camp. And the camp is partially so kids can feel like kids,” Maloney says. “If you think of the opposite way, a parent who's born into this family of bleeding disorder community, Hemophilia of Georgia walks alongside them and wraps their arms around them."

How Ameris contributes and cares

While Hemophilia of Georgia stands by its community, Ameris stands by Hemophilia of Georgia. In addition to handling all its day-to-day banking needs, Ameris recently helped the organization set up Positive Pay, a fraud-prevention service for corporate customers that flags unauthorized and suspicious payments before they go through. “Our system will match up the payee, the amount and the number,” explains Kathy French, vice president and branch manager of Ameris’ Roswell branch. “That way it saves you any losses.”

By preventing disruptions to business operations, Positive Pay saves time and money, says Hemophilia of Georgia controller Afua Nyamekye. “I just say decline, do not pay. And I just state the reason why I should not pay, and the money is protected.”

They are looking into Clover, a merchant services program offered through Ameris that will save money on credit card processing fees.

Ameris’ team has even helped out at Camp Wannaklot, serving up lunch to campers. Says Maloney, “This whole organization pours itself into this week, and it means so much to us” that Ameris contributes too.

A partnership built on trust

Running a complex organization is just easier with a trusted banking partner, Maloney says.

“Most relationships start with trust, and that's not built on an email.” It's really making sure that I know that Ameris has our best interests at heart.” 

When the leadership is discussing financial services, he says, “It's not something we really have to spend a lot of time debating. It's like, OK, this is what Ameris is recommending. Let's move forward.”

That level of support enables Hemophilia of Georgia to serve its people with not just love, but also efficiency. “Ninety-five percent of the dollars that we raise, both through our pharmacy as well as our fundraising efforts, go directly to patient care, and we're really proud of that effort and what we do for our care community,” Mahoney says. “Ameris is really a part of that, and we are so excited to have them as our partner.

“To me, Ameris is community.”