OREANDA-NEWS. April 20, 2016. Southwest AirlinesCo. (NYSE: LUV) announced today that 73 nonprofit hospitals and medical organizations from across the nation will benefit from the Southwest Airlines® 2016 Medical Transportation Grant Program, with the total impact reaching 97 facilities. Through the program, participating nonprofit hospitals and medical programs provide complimentary, roundtrip air travel to families who need to travel for specialized medical care to lessen the financial burden of serious illness.  

"Southwest Airlines has a nearly 45-year tradition of treating our Employees and Customers like family.  Families support each other during both good and challenging times, and we're honored to be able to serve our communities during a time of great need," said Linda Rutherford, Southwest Airlines Vice President and Chief Communications Officer. "The opportunity to connect someone to the things that are most important in their life drives us to find a network of hospitals and organizations that support this mission and provide the best possible treatment to their patients."

Since the Southwest Airlines Medical Transportation Grant Program's inception in 2007, more than \\$19.6 millionin free transportation has been distributed to organizations in 26 states. "I knew this was one of those situations where I needed to be home, no matter the cost," shares Sarah Zawatski, a caregiver to her mother who received treatment at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix. "With this generous gift, I was able to fly out and not give too much care to the cost of the airline ticket. My care and attention needed to be focused on my mom."

In 2016, Southwest will provide more than \\$3.2 millionin free transportation to caregivers and patients seeking medical treatment. Participating hospitals include:

Angel Flight Central, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Transplant Center, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Cedars-Sinai, Children's Hospital & Medical Center, Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation, Children's Hospital Corporation, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Hospital of Alabama, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh  Foundation, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Inc., Children's Medical Center Foundation, Children's Mercy, Children's National Hospital, Cook Children's, Craig Hospital Foundation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dell Children's Hospital, Emory Healthcare, Froedtert Hospital Foundation Inc., Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation, Long Island Jewish Health System , Loyola University Health Systems, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Massachusetts General Hospital, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mercy Medical Angels, Mercy Medical Center, Miracle Flights for Kids, National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction for NYU Langone Medical Center, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Patient Airlift Services, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Piedmont Healthcare Foundation, Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, a Division of Duke University Health System, Inc., Rady Children's Hospital Foundation - San Diego, Riley Children's Hospital-IU Health, Rush University Medical Center, Scripps Health, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle Children's Hospital, Shepherd Center, Shriners Hospitals for Children, SSM St. Mary's Health Center Foundation, St. Joseph'sFoundation and Barrow Neurological Foundation, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, St. Louis Children's Hospital Foundation, St. Luke's Foundation, Stanford Health Care, Tampa General Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, The Johns Hopkins Hospital & Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital, The Nemours Foundation, Children's Hospital, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, UCLA Medical Center, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, University Medical Center Tucson, formerly University of Arizona Medical Center, University Medical Center, Lubbock/University Medical Center Foundation, University of Chicago Medicine, University of Illinois Hospital & Health Science Systems, University of Minnesota Medical Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Visit the NUTS About Southwest blogand www.southwest.com/medicalgrantto learn more about the positive impact of the Medical Transportation Grant Program. To learn about qualifications for travel assistance through the designated organizations, please contact the Social Work, Travel/Concierge Service, or Patient Assistance Department directly at the hospitals and medical organizations listed above, as each has unique guidelines for the administration of tickets.