Baxter and AmeriCares Disaster Relief

 

The relationship between Baxter and AmeriCares began in 1987 and has resulted in the delivery of more than $185 million in Baxter product donations to 118 countries around the world. Donations of medicines and products play a key role in addressing supply gaps that hinder providers from delivering effective healthcare in resource-poor countries, particularly during emergencies and natural disasters.

 

““AmeriCares partnership with Baxter is truly a team effort. Baxter is a key contributor to not only our disaster-specific relief efforts, but a partner is expanding our ability to provide ongoing medical assistance in the developing world, enabling us to help people around the world live longer, healthier lives,” said Curt Welling, President & CEO of AmeriCares. “Baxter was instrumental in launching our operations in India, enabling us to deliver more medicines to more people around the world quickly and efficiently.

We simply wouldn’t be able to work on an ongoing basis in providing this safety net of basic healthcare for tens of thousands of people if we didn’t have a relationship with Baxter., They were vital in our ability to respond to emergencies, including the recent cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, Hurricane Katrina and the 2008 earthquake in Pakistan, in each of those instances, Baxter products were immediately available to us, enabling us to deliver health and hope to people in crisis .”

 

Celene Peurye, Executive Director of The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., says the donation to establish AmeriCares distribution center in Mumbai, India was the Foundation’s first cash grant to AmeriCares. “The funding helps to significantly increase access to essential health products in the regional communities where Baxter employees live and work.” The enduring partnership between Baxter and AmeriCares is part of the company’s long-term strategic approach to sustainability – balancing its business opportunities with social, economic and environmental responsibilities.”

 

AmeriCares has been delivering life-saving medicines and medical supplies to healthcare providers in India for over 15 years. In that time, they have delivered more than $45 million worth of aid. The Foundation’s gift helped AmeriCares to deepen their commitment to India through a new initiative: AmeriCares India.

 

Dr. Purvish M. Parikh, managing director of AmeriCares India, says the organization is strategically located to deliver medical assistance and emergency response programs. “With an office at Khar and a warehouse in Bhiwandi, Mumbai, we are able to reach more people, not only in all corners of India, but also around this part of the world,” he said. “The World Health Organization estimates more than two billion people around the world have inadequate access to medicine. Of those, more than one third (700 million people) live in India. To improve the availability of medicines to indigent communities and disaster prone states in India, AmeriCares is replicating in India its already successful global medical assistance and emergency response programs.”

 

The warehouse and offices have already allowed AmeriCares to expand its activities in India and respond quickly and effectively to humanitarian emergencies in the region. For example, AmeriCares utilized the warehouse to send aid to Myanmar where people are still recovering from the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis, which killed an estimated 138,000 people in May of 2008. Baxter’s continuing support of AmeriCares is helping to keep the warehouse stocked with vital products.

 

AmeriCares has leveraged its successful partnership with Baxter to increase other product donations.  In the wake of Cyclone Nargis, Baxter donated lactated ringers for cholera preparedness and a total of 75,529 liters of essential IV solution to supply hospitals and AmeriCares NGO partners working in Myanmar.   Baxter’s generous donations set the precedent for other pharmaceutical and medical supply companies to contribute to the relief effort. Upon learning that its infusion sets would complement Baxter’s donation and facilitate administration of Baxter’s IV solution, BD India made its first donation to AmeriCares of 17,000 infusion sets.. In addition, Baxter partnered with AmeriCares to provide 20,000 units of critical IV solutions to Zimbabwe during the recent cholera outbreak which affected over 90,000 people. AmeriCares hopes to leverage its strong partnership with Baxter in India to encourage other companies in the country to donate necessary medicines and supplies for future emergency health situations and ongoing medical needs.

 

“The partnership between Baxter and AmeriCares is based on a foundation of respect, honesty and

trust” said Alice Campbell, senior director for community relations at Baxter. “Our collaboration is one of equals, in which both parties are equally strong in their fields.”