Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation Marks World AIDS Day by Awarding $1.47 Million in New Grants to Strengthen HIV-Related Servic...
December 01 2014 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Grants from landmark Secure the
Future initiative target adolescents, the elderly and HIV patients
with female cancers or tuberculosis in Kenya, Zimbabwe, South
Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation today marked World AIDS Day
by announcing 12 new grants totaling $1.47 million that focus on
strengthening community-based services in sub-Saharan Africa for
adolescents and the elderly who are living with HIV and for HIV
patients with comorbid female cancers or tuberculosis.
The grants awarded through the Foundation’s landmark Secure the
Future initiative, which this year celebrates its 15th anniversary
of providing community-based care and support to people living with
HIV/AIDS, will support projects in Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa,
Swaziland and Lesotho. Since its inception, Secure the Future has
committed more than $180 million to more than 250 projects
throughout the region.
“As the global community celebrates World AIDS Day and focuses
on achieving an AIDS-free generation, the Bristol-Myers Squibb
Foundation continues to work with its many partners to make that
goal a reality,” says John Damonti, president, Bristol-Myers Squibb
Foundation. “Together, we are addressing the unique health care
needs of people living with HIV in southern and east Africa by
collaborating with nonprofit organizations in the region that share
our vision of expanding access to high-quality community-based care
and supportive services.”
Adolescents and youth living with HIV often face social stigma
and discrimination, which can hinder their ability to seek HIV
support services and prevent them from pursuing life skills
support, including entrepreneurship and leadership skills
development. For the elderly living with HIV, the risk of
developing other illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma
and cancer, and the threat of drug interactions, is high. Both
adolescents and the elderly living in rural areas are faced with
additional challenges, including access to health care and
treatment.
A project funded through a grant to Young Positive Generation
of Lesotho will empower youth living with HIV to take ownership
of their health and their livelihood by enhancing their skills
through training in business management, psychosocial support,
governance and leadership and cancer awareness.
Other grants awarded for care and support for adolescents living
with HIV or those young people most vulnerable to HIV will be
implemented by Youth Advocates Zimbabwe and SAYWHAT in Zimbabwe, by
Super Buddies in Swaziland, and by Salesian Life Choices in South
Africa.
The National University of Lesotho School of Pharmacy
Faculty will integrate pharmacists into interdisciplinary
health care teams in rural communities targeting elderly patients
living with HIV. These teams will provide comprehensive education
through medication counseling regarding drug interactions and
proper handling and storage methods, home visits and facilitating
group discussions.
Cervical and breast cancers are leading causes of cancer death
in women in sub-Saharan Africa. Cervical cancer rates among women
living with HIV are three times higher globally than in the non-HIV
population. The higher prevalence is due to co-infection with human
papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer as well as other
gynecological infections. Between 60 percent and 80 percent of
women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are infected with
HPV.
A grant to Swaziland Breast & Cervical Cancer
Network, which made history in 2013 by launching cervical
cancer screening services in a rural community through funding from
the Foundation, will partner with the Ministry of Health and other
collaborators to develop national breast and cervical cancer
awareness and clinical programs. A Rural Health Motivator training
guide will be created to ensure that ongoing best practices are
implemented throughout communities.
A grant to Right to Care Project will fund a program that
will serve as a focal point for training physicians and nurses in
Ethiopia, Swaziland and South Africa and improve capacity for
cervical and breast cancer screening in HIV-positive patients. The
project will expand cancer screening services currently provided in
the three countries.
Since its inception in 1999, Secure the Future also has
addressed the needs of patients with TB as part of its HIV mandate.
More recently, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation has been
collaborating with the World Health Organization to expand its
ENGAGE-TB program in sub-Saharan Africa by strengthening
community-based efforts in the fight against TB.
The ISIBANI Development Project in South Africa will work
with organizations in four districts in the country that need
assistance in implementing the ENGAGE-TB approach in their
communities. ISIBANI will build the capacity of civic
organizations’ ability to provide integrated HIV/TB services, care
and treatment and transfer support, monitoring and
financial/program management skills to other community
organizations.
Other grants focusing on integrating HIV and TB will be
implemented by Lengo Health Program and Shikaadabu Bamako in Kenya,
and by Thabo Mwale TB Foundation in South Africa.
About the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation
The mission of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation is to help
reduce health disparities by strengthening community-based health
care worker capacity, integrating medical care and community-based
supportive services, and mobilizing communities in the fight
against disease.
For more information about the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation,
please visit www.bms.com/foundation or follow us on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/bmsnews.
Media:Bristol-Myers Squibb FoundationFrederick J.
Egenolf, 609-252-4875frederick.egenolf@bms.com
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