Taylor Rooks and her foundation helped wipe out $2.1 million in medical debt for 1,805 residents of Gwinnett County, Georgia, through a partnership with Undue Medical Debt. The 33-year-old said she shared the news in a video on social media because the work is personal to her family.
Rooks said her family has lived with chronic illness and medical bills, and that her baby sister has type 1 diabetes. “My baby sister has type 1 diabetes, so I know firsthand how medical bills can pile up,” she said, describing the kind of pressure that can make people feel like they are drowning. She said the relief reached “more than 1,800 people in a community that means so much to me.”
The Taylor Rooks Foundation launched in 2025, with a mission centered on expanding access to education, health and opportunity for Black and Brown individuals and families. Undue Medical Debt buys qualifying debts in bulk from hospitals and collection agencies for a fraction of the original cost, then notifies recipients directly, so people do not have to apply to be helped. That model has made medical debt relief a fast way to cut through a problem that remains one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the United States.
Rooks said the foundation intends to keep going, calling the effort a way to expand access, remove barriers and create real opportunities for people to build stability. She said everyone deserves a chance to move forward without being held back by circumstances beyond their control, and this round of debt relief answers that directly for the families in Gwinnett County who received it.
