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BAXTER INTERNATIONAL
FOUNDATION AWARDS $4.8 MILLION IN 2001 TO MORE THAN 200 ORGANIZATIONS
IN 15 COUNTRIES
Foundation Dedicates
$3 Million to Improve Access to Affordable, Quality Health Care For Individuals,
Communities in Need
DEERFIELD, Ill., March
13, 2002 -- The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm
of Baxter International Inc., awarded $4.8 million in 2001 to support
the health and well-being of communities worldwide where Baxter team members
live and work. During the year, the foundation supported more than 208
organizations in 15 countries and four continents, significantly expanding
its giving on a global level.
The primary focus of the foundation's giving is on improving access to
quality, affordable health care -- accounting for nearly 70 percent of
total funding. Specifically, these projects focused primarily on providing
preventive health-care initiatives for children, addressing the needs
of the elderly and filling critical health-care gaps, such as support
for enhanced training and education for health-care workers and caregivers.
"The Baxter International Foundation supports organizations that
are providing programs and services that help to increase access to quality,
affordable health care to people and communities in need worldwide,"
said Thomas Glanzmann, president of The Baxter International Foundation
and president of Baxter's BioScience business. "By funding organizations
with the vision and drive to create innovative, self-sustaining programs,
we are able to leverage our foundation dollars to make a long-term impact
on the health and well-being of our communities."
Allocating Grants to Make the Greatest Impact
The foundation supports organizations whose health-care programs and initiatives
have an immediate yet lasting impact. For example, in Boulder, Colorado,
where Baxter employs about 150 people, there are pockets of stark poverty
in an otherwise affluent community. To help address the health-care needs
of low-income and uninsured residents in Boulder and Adams counties, the
foundation partnered with Clinica Campesina Family Health Services to
fund a preventive health education program.
This program in Colorado addresses areas long considered responsive to
preventive education, including management of diabetes, depression, and
cholesterol. In addition to group classes, medical providers offer basic
screening services covering such concerns as cholesterol, weight and vision.
The program was modeled after a group-visit concept that Kaiser Permanente
of Colorado helped develop. A one-year randomized clinical trial demonstrated
that this approach helped increase patient compliance and satisfaction,
while reducing the cost of care.
Helping Communities Help Themselves
The foundation seeks out programs that can be sustained beyond the life
of the grant by empowering individuals and communities through the grant
dollars, thereby increasing the impact of such funding. Further, the foundation
looks to recommendations from local Baxter team members. For example,
the grant last year made in Ghajnsielem, Island of Gozo, in Malta, was
suggested by Baxter team members working at the company's Malta facility.
Here a foundation grant to the Arka Foundation of Gozo supported the training
of caregivers, staff and people with disabilities at their Respite Centre
in Ghajnsielem.
The Respite Center provides relief to caretakers and allows people with
disabilities to participate in integrated social and recreational activities.
With support from The Baxter International Foundation, the Respite Center
can further strengthen the support network for people with disabilities,
while enabling them to become more independent.
Partnering with Baxter to Help Victims of Global Disasters
In addition to identifying opportunities to improve access to health care,
The Baxter International Foundation offered assistance in crisis situations.
Joining forces with Baxter International Inc. and its team members worldwide,
the foundation in 2001 provided more than $2 million to organizations
in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania to address the mental and
physical health-care needs of people affected by the tragedies of September
11. The company and foundation specifically sought out organizations that
were providing vital services, but weren't already recipients of significant
funding relief efforts.
Supporting the Philanthropic Efforts of Baxter Team Members
During the year, the foundation also made contributions to organizations
to which Baxter team members contributed their time and giving. Through
the Dollars for Doers program, The Baxter International Foundation provided
grants to organizations in the United States where Baxter employees volunteered,
such as local schools, volunteer fire departments and non-profit health-care
agencies. The foundation also matched more than $400,000 in employee donations
to qualifying cultural, health and educational organizations.
The Baxter International Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Baxter
International Inc., a global medical products and services company that,
through its subsidiaries, provides critical therapies for people with
life-threatening conditions. Baxter's products and services in the areas
of bioscience, medication delivery and renal therapy are used by health-care
providers and their patients in more than 100 countries.
FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION:
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- Media Contact:
- Tanya Tyska,
847-948-3256
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