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SAINT
ALBAN'S CHILD ENRICHMENT CENTER RECEIVES $46,000 GRANT FROM BAXTER INTERNATIONAL
FOUNDATION
Grant Supports
Basic Health Care for Needy Children
MIAMI, Fla., November 15, 2001
-- The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter
International Inc., has provided $46,000 for St. Alban's Child Enrichment
Center in Miami to hire a full-time pediatric nurse. The center provides
day care, after-school programs and other services for more than 400 children
ages 6 weeks to 12 years old from low-income families. The nurse will
provide ongoing case management to ensure that the children's basic health-care
needs are met.
For 55 years, St. Alban's has served families in some of the poorest communities
in Miami. In Coconut Grove, where St. Alban's operates two childcare centers,
the average per capita income is $10,300. In neighborhoods surrounding
St. Alban's South Miami Center, unemployment is 18 percent, and 68 percent
of people receive public assistance. In nearby Little Havana, nearly all
residents live below the poverty line.
To serve their needs, St. Alban's provides much more than the average
day care center. For example, childcare is available from 6:00 a.m. to
11:30 p.m., nutritious meals and snacks are served and social work services
link families with other community resources. Yet, health care remains
a pressing need. Some of the children who come to St. Alban's have gone
without basic child care, few have ever seen a dentist, and many have
serious health problems, such as asthma and tooth decay.
"Health care is an unbearable expense for many of the families we
serve. Some have relied on sporadic emergency room treatment," said
Samuel McKinnon, executive director, St. Alban's. "Our new pediatric
nurse will emphasize prevention and early intervention."
The Baxter International Foundation grant will help to support medical
screenings, identify at-risk children, administer medications, provide
appropriate referral and ongoing case management, and educate parents
about health maintenance.
"The Baxter International Foundation is pleased to support St. Alban's
efforts to enhance the health and well being of families in the Miami
community," said Patricia Morgan, executive director of The Baxter
International Foundation. "Preventive health care and early intervention
are critical elements of a child's development, and a pediatric nurse
is a wonderful compliment to the child care services St. Alban's already
provides."
St. Alban's Child Enrichment Center provides center-based day care at
three sites in Coconut Grove and South Miami, an after-school program
and family day care in private homes. The center's mission is to support
low-income families with comprehensive childcare services that encourage
the emotional, physical and social development of children and their parents.
As the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., The Baxter International
Foundation helps to increase access to health care in the United States
and other countries. In 2000, foundation grants totaling $4.7 million
improved access to care for children, the uninsured and the elderly, helped
prevent child abuse and neglect, promoted health education, expanded education
opportunities for health-care providers, and helped victims of global
disasters.
Baxter International Inc. is a global medical products and services company
that, through its subsidiaries, provides critical therapies for people
with life-threatening conditions. Baxter employs more than 1,200 people
in Florida at its facilities in Largo, Miami, Plantation and Tampa.
FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION:
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- Media Contacts:
- Tanya Tyska, Baxter,
(847) 948-3256
Samuel McKinnon, St. Alban's, (305) 443-1234
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