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Corporate Social Responsibility
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5.26.2005 ET
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The Baxter International Foundation Awards Grants in Six Countries to Improve Access to Healthcare
Numerous first-quarter grants focus on improving access to healthcare for women and children in need - one of the foundation's main priorities
(CSRwire) DEERFIELD, IL - The Baxter International Foundation, the
philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), today announced
its first-quarter grant awards, totaling more than $1.3 million. In April,
the foundation awarded grants to 20 organizations in six countries to
support initiatives that improve global access to quality and
cost-effective healthcare. Nine of the 20 first-quarter awards focus on
improving access to healthcare for women and children in disadvantaged and
underserved communities throughout the world where Baxter employees live
and work.
"There are women and children throughout the world without access to the
healthcare and support services they desperately need," said Jim Utts,
president, The Baxter International Foundation. "The organizations funded
through the foundation's first-quarter grants are committed to providing
this population with services that will make an immediate and sustainable
impact on these communities."
For example, during the first quarter, the foundation partnered with The
Instituto Mexicano de Investigacion de Familia y Poblacion (IMIFAP) to
improve the health of low-income women in Monterrey, Mexico. Since its
founding in 1985, IMIFAP has become a leader in health prevention and
reproductive health education for women and youth throughout Latin
America. The $44,669 grant will allow IMIFAP to expand
services in Monterrey to include intensive workshops on breast and
cervical cancer prevention, reproductive health and family planning, and
personal hygiene. IMIFAP plans to bring similar health improvement
workshops to seven additional states in Mexico.
The foundation also partnered with Project Concern International, a
non-governmental, nonprofit organization that has promoted community
health and integrated development throughout the world for more than 43
years. The $107,684 grant will support the deployment of two mobile health
vans in the Nagapattinam District in India to improve access to healthcare
for tsunami survivors. The mobile health vans will be integrated into the
organization's broader strategy to transition its tsunami aid activities
from emergency disaster relief to long-term recovery, including the
improvement of the health status of families, especially women and
children, in some of the hardest-hit villages in the district. Additional
information about Baxter-sponsored relief efforts following the tsunami
devastation in Asia can be found on the company's website at
www.baxter.com/relief.
Additional organizations that received grants in the first quarter of 2005
include:
The Association of Therapeutical Education and Rehabilitation of
Children with Cerebral Palsy, to expand support services in occupational,
physical and speech therapy and psychology to an increased number of
children with cerebral palsy in regular school settings in Paris,
France.
Building Futures with Women & Children, to support the salary of a
Children's Advocate to promote the improved health and well-being of
children in shelters and second-stage affordable housing in San Leandro,
Calif., by assisting the children and their mothers in accessing local
health services.
Fundacion Prodis, to support the salaries of additional health
professionals to work with an increased number of mentally challenged
youth at a special summer camp program in Spain.
Hillsides, a nonprofit mental health treatment agency, to support the
salary of a bilingual therapist to expand services offered at the
School-Based Mental Health Program, which works in partnership with the
Los Angeles and Pasadena Unified School Districts to provide in-school
behavioral support, counseling services and case management to at-risk
students and their families.
Lake County Council Against Sexual Assault, to support the expansion
of its Allied Healthcare Response to Sexual Violence Program in Lake
County, Ill.
A full listing of The Baxter International Foundation grants awarded in
the first quarter of 2005 can be found at www.baxter.com/grants.
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 care in 2002 -
particularly for the disadvantaged and underserved in and near communities
where Baxter employees live and work.
Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, assists healthcare
professionals and their patients with the treatment of complex medical
conditions, including cancer, hemophilia, immune disorders, kidney disease
and trauma. The company applies its expertise in medical devices,
pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to make a meaningful difference in
patients' lives. For more information, please visit www.baxter.com.
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