Merck Foundation Launches Five-Year Initiative to Improve Diabetes Care for Vulnerable and Underserved U.S. Communities
October 19 2017 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
The Merck Foundation (the Foundation) has launched a five-year
initiative: Bridging the Gap: Reducing Disparities in Diabetes Care
(Bridging the Gap) to help improve diabetes care and health
outcomes for vulnerable and underserved populations in the United
States.
With $16 million in funding from the Foundation over five years,
Bridging the Gap aims to foster comprehensive approaches that bring
together high-quality medical care with services and resources
drawn from outside of the health care system to address the many
factors that influence diabetes outcomes, such as access to healthy
foods and safe places for physical activity.
The Foundation has selected the following organizations as
Bridging the Gap program grantees.
- Alameda County Public Health Department
(Oakland, Calif.)
- Clearwater Valley Hospital and Clinics
(Orofino, Idaho)
- La Clínica del Pueblo (Washington,
D.C.)
- Marshall University (Huntington,
W.Va.)
- Minneapolis Health Department
(Minneapolis, Minn.)
- Providence St. Joseph Health (Renton,
Wash.)
- Trenton Health Team (Trenton,
N.J.)
- Western Maryland Health System
(Cumberland, Md.)
The University of Chicago (Chicago) will serve as the National
Program Office for Bridging the Gap. In this capacity, it will
support the program grantees’ efforts and provide leadership in
building a national public-private partnership to help reduce
disparities in diabetes care.
“We need to look beyond the usual health care solutions to
address the growing burden of diabetes, especially among vulnerable
populations in the United States,” says Julie L. Gerberding, chief
patient officer, Merck and chief executive officer, Merck
Foundation. “Through Bridging the Gap, we are pleased to bring
together these eight diverse organizations, and look forward to
leveraging their expertise to help more people effectively manage
their diabetes and improve their overall health.”
Bridging the Gap program grantees will implement multifaceted,
evidence-based programs to:
- Build sustainable partnerships between
the health care sector and other sectors to address the medical and
social and environmental factors that influence health
- Redesign health care systems,
particularly primary care, to improve the delivery of diabetes care
for vulnerable and underserved populations
- Improve health outcomes for individuals
with type 2 diabetes through measures such as better blood sugar
and lipid control
The Foundation will support a comprehensive evaluation to assess
the impact of Bridging the Gap. A key goal will be to identify and
promote best practices in primary care transformation and
innovative multi-sectoral strategies that help vulnerable and
underserved communities gain access to high-quality diabetes
care.
Improving Access to Care
Merck is committed to discovering smart, sustainable ways to
expand global access to health care and, through the Merck
Foundation, supports innovative partnerships and approaches to
improve the health of vulnerable and underserved populations. The
new Bridging the Gap initiative follows other recent investments by
the Foundation to reduce health disparities and improve access to
high-quality health care, such as the $15 million, five-year
Alliance to Advance Patient-Centered Cancer Care announced earlier
this year.
About the Merck Foundation
The Merck Foundation is a U.S.-based, private charitable
foundation. Established in 1957 by Merck, a leading global
biopharmaceutical company, the Foundation is funded entirely by the
company and is Merck’s chief source of funding support to qualified
non-profit charitable organizations. Since its inception, the Merck
Foundation has contributed more than $870 million to support
important initiatives that address societal needs and are
consistent with Merck’s overall mission of inventing for life by
bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s
most challenging diseases. For more information, visit
www.merckgiving.com.
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Media:MerckDoris Li, 908-740-1903orJeanine Clemente,
908-740-6268
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