3.10.2008 - 09:19am ET

(CSRwire) DEERFIELD, Ill., March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Baxter International Inc. and The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter, today announced their combined 2007 charitable giving, which focused on increasing access to healthcare, helping developing nations and countries in crisis, and addressing other critical community needs. In 2007, combined giving from the company and its foundation totaled nearly $53 million, comprising:

-- $31.1 million from donations of Baxter products to developing nations gand countries in crisis;

-- $18.4 million from Baxter's businesses and facilities to address critical local needs in 36 countries; and

-- $3.1 million from The Baxter International Foundation, including $1.9 million in worldwide grants paid, and more than $696,061 from the foundation's Dollars for Doers and Matching Gifts programs in support of employees' philanthropic efforts.

"As a global healthcare company we address some of the world's key sustainability challenges every day," said Robert L. Parkinson, Jr., Baxter's chairman and chief executive officer. "Increasing access to healthcare is one of our sustainability priorities. Continuing to meet critical community needs through grants that advance public health, enhanced employee wellness programs and product donations to countries in crisis are strong reflections of our continued commitment to this goal."

Product Donations Help Countries Worldwide

Baxter donated $31.1 million in vital medical products to 53 countries in 2007. Beginning in 2007, Baxter included patient assistance program donations in its overall product donation totals to align with comprehensive reporting and benchmarking data.

The majority of product donations were distributed through the international disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization AmeriCares as well as through the non-profit, non-sectarian humanitarian assistance organization Direct Relief International. For example, Baxter's partnership with AmeriCares helped to provide product support and emergency aid after an earthquake devastated the central coast of Peru and a cholera outbreak affected northern Iraq. Also through AmeriCares, Baxter helped support a summer camp in Bazna, Romania, where children with hemophilia learn to manage their disease. Baxter's partnership with Direct Relief helped the organization to assist with the ongoing restructuring of the healthcare system in South Sudan and provide medical aid to thousands of individuals vulnerable to the Dengue Fever and pneumonia epidemics in El Salvador.

Foundation Grants Aim to Improve Healthcare Worldwide

In 2007, The Baxter International Foundation supported 68 organizations in 18 countries. Through its grant program, the foundation funds initiatives that improve global access to quality and cost-effective healthcare. Specifically, grants awarded in 2007 will help promote health education to children, provide mental health and medical services to the homeless, expand therapy to children in families experiencing domestic violence, and improve access to healthcare for children, the uninsured and the elderly.

Some of the organizations that received grants in 2007 from the foundation include:

-- Aldeas Infantiles SOS De Espana to add two psychologists to provide family therapy for at-risk children and their families in Madrid Spain.
-- Chicago Housing for Health Partnership, a collaborative pilot project administered by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, to improve access to healthcare for homeless individuals who are frequent users of the Cook County hospital. The first of its kind in the nation, the project will help homeless people with HIV, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions improve their health and achieve housing stability.

-- Con Nosotros to increase physical rehabilitation services to children with cerebral palsy and other neuromuscular disabilities in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

-- ORBIS International to extend eye care services to rural areas by
establishing eye care stations, increasing public awareness of eye health issues and the importance of caring for the eyes, and introducing a multi-tiered pricing system to ensure that services are affordable to everyone in counties and villages throughout the Guangxi Province in China.

A full listing of The Baxter International Foundation grants awarded in 2007 can be found at www.baxter.com/grants.

About Baxter

The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., helps organizations expand access to healthcare in the United States and around the world. The foundation, established in 1981, began to focus exclusively on increasing access to healthcare in 2002 -- particularly for the disadvantaged and underserved -- in communities where Baxter employees live and work. To learn more about the foundation, please visit www.baxter.com/about_baxter/foundation.

Beyond its charitable giving, Baxter's commitment to advancing environmental stewardship and social responsibility spans three decades. The company has been recognized by Innovest Strategic Value Advisors as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World and by Corporate Responsibility Officer magazine as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens in the United States. Baxter is a member of the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College, the Business Environmental Leadership Council of the Pew Center on Global Climate Exchange, the Chicago Climate Exchange, the U.S. EPA's Climate Leaders, the Ethics & Compliance Officer Association and Hospitals for a Healthy Environment. Baxter endorses the Ceres principles and is an organizational stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative. To learn more about Baxter's sustainability initiatives, please visit www.baxter.com/sustainability.

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX), through its subsidiaries, assists healthcare professionals and their patients with the treatment of complex medical conditions, including hemophilia, immune disorders, cancer, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma and other conditions. The company applies its expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to make a meaningful difference in patients' lives.

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