FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J.,
Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BD
(NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, together
with the BD Foundation, its charitable affiliate, today committed
$7.8 million in monetary grants and
product donations over the next three years to support the
continued expansion of the BD Helping Build Healthy
Communities™ initiative – a unique public-private partnership
launched in 2013 and implemented jointly by Direct Relief and the
National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).
The BD Helping Build Healthy CommunitiesTM initiative
issues grants to community health centers that are implementing
innovative, successful approaches to providing quality healthcare
to underserved populations in the United
States. BD has invested nearly $15.7
million in cash and product donations to this initiative
since 2013. This newest financial commitment from BD and the BD
Foundation will bring their total combined investment to
$22.6 million, through the year 2022.
This year marks the first time that the BD Foundation – established
in 2017 following the company's acquisition of C. R. Bard, Inc. –
has made a financial contribution to this
initiative.
Community health centers were launched during the 1960s civil
rights movement in the United
States and are rooted within medically underserved
communities serving close to 30 million patients nationwide. They
have a deep history of developing innovative, tailored strategies
to support uninsured and underinsured patients in overcoming
barriers to care – and have continued to do so even while facing
unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients
served by community health centers tend to experience greater
incidence of diabetes, hypertension, medication non-compliance, and
other health issues that serve as risk factors for COVID-19.
Without the care provided by these health centers, patients often
experience unaddressed medical issues that can have a devastating
impact on their health, length of life, and overall cost of
care.
"Community health centers have long played an integral role in
delivering quality, affordable healthcare to the most vulnerable
patients in the United States,"
said Tom Polen, CEO and president of
BD. "As economic and other burdens caused by COVID-19 make it more
challenging than ever for at-risk patients to manage chronic
conditions, this initiative aims to provide funding to help health
centers expand their healthcare innovations to reach more
patients."
Health centers that have previously earned funding through this
initiative have developed and expanded new models for identifying
and assisting vulnerable people in managing complex chronic
diseases – from diabetes to hypertension to opioid prevention and
treatment.
Later this month, BD, the BD Foundation, Direct Relief and NACHC
will invite health centers in the U.S. to apply for the
initiative's next round of grant funding. The awards will recognize
innovative approaches to delivering medication therapy management
(MTM) services, which can enable better chronic disease
management among patients who are facing additional challenges and
constraints due to the impacts of the COVID pandemic.
"Health centers serve nearly 30 million patients and have a
clear and defined mission as the first line of defense against
COVID-19," said Tom Van Coverden, president and CEO at NACHC. "More
than 90 percent of health centers have the ability to test for the
virus and can care for people who are sick and do not require
hospitalization, which reduces the demands – both clinical and
financial – on hospitals and emergency rooms. Health centers have
also massively pivoted during the pandemic, offering telehealth
solutions that allow them to safely screen patients at home.
Private funding partnerships like this one are critical to putting
their public health innovations into action."
BD, Direct Relief and NACHC are announcing this renewed,
three-year commitment to the BD Helping Build Healthy
CommunitiesTM initiative to coincide with 2020
National Health Center Week (August
9 – 15th) – a week of recognition that aims to
raise awareness of and public support for health centers for the
important role they play in caring for vulnerable populations while
saving taxpayer dollars.
"It's a privilege for Direct Relief to work with NACHC and be
part of this extraordinary example of leadership by BD to find,
recognize, and award community health centers for improving the
health and lives of uninsured and underinsured patients who face
challenging health conditions," said Thomas
Tighe, Direct Relief president and CEO. "Collaborations like
these provide an additional source of support for the
groundbreaking work health centers perform when it comes to
reducing chronic disease and promoting wellness in some of
America's most challenged communities."
On Monday, August 10, Tom Polen will join the CEOs of Direct Relief
and NACHC to participate in a virtual bell-ringing event hosted by
the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to recognize National Community
Health Center Week.
For more information about the BD Helping Build Healthy
Communities™ program,
visit www.directrelief.org/bdhbhc.
About BD
BD is one of the largest global medical
technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of
health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery
of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of
health care by developing innovative technology, services and
solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and
clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 65,000
employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety
and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable
laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance
researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of
diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every
country and partners with organizations around the world to address
some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in
close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes,
lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand
access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit
bd.com.
About BD Foundation
BD is the sole funder
of the BD Foundation, which focuses its social investments on
expanding access to healthcare, advancing human potential and
supporting resilient communities.
About Direct Relief
Direct Relief is a humanitarian
organization committed to improving the health and lives of people
affected by poverty or emergencies. Accredited by the National
Association of Boards of Pharmacy as a Verified
Accredited Wholesale Distributor (VAWD), Direct Relief delivers
lifesaving medical resources throughout the U.S. and world to
communities and need—without regard to politics, religion, or
ability to pay. For more information, please
visit https://www.DirectRelief.org.
About the National Association of Health
Centers
Established in 1971, the National Association of
Community Health Centers (NACHC) serves as the national voice for
America's Health Centers and as an advocate for health care access
for the medically underserved and uninsured.
Contacts:
|
|
Jessica Offerjost
|
Monique N.
Dolecki
|
BD Public
Relations
|
BD Investor
Relations
|
201-258-0964
|
201.847.5378
|
jessica.offerjost@bd.com
|
Monique_Dolecki@bd.com
|
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SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)