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MESAB Raises More Than $800,000 to Improve South Africa’s Healthcare Services

MESAB Raises More Than $800,000 to Improve South Africa’s Healthcare Services

Published 04-10-03

Submitted by Medical Education for South African Blacks

With the support of key U.S. corporations, Medical Education for South African Blacks (MESAB), a non-profit organization that provides scholarships, advanced training, and academic support to black South African medical students, completed its annual fund-raising event, securing $826,250 to help bring better healthcare services to all South Africans.

“The generous backing by the American private sector is the cornerstone in MESAB’s successful scholarship and mentoring program that has helped train more than 3,000 doctors, nurses, dentists and other allied professionals in South Africa. Today, black medical professionals are able to care for hundreds of thousands of people throughout South Africa,” said Jim Scott, President, MESAB.

MESAB’s annual gala fund-raising dinner, held at New York’s Pierre Hotel on April 1, 2003, also honored the recipients of the 2003 MESAB Awards for Service given each year to an American and a South African industry leader for their commitment to improving healthcare in South Africa. Lloyd Trotter, President and CEO, GE Industrial Systems, was named the 2003 American award recipient, and Donald Gordon, Founder and Former Chairman, Liberty Life, received the 2003 South African award. This year’s awards dinner was co-chaired by Stanley Bergman, Chairman, CEO and President, Henry Schein, Inc., and W. James McNerney Jr., Chairman and CEO, The 3M Company.
“This collaborative initiative is a crucial step in developing South Africa’s young medical professionals and narrowing the disparity of basic healthcare services in South Africa. Our support of MESAB and its efforts in South Africa highlights Henry Schein’s commitment to provide healthcare professionals in developing countries with the resources and tools needed to make medical services more accessible to all people,” said Stanley Bergman, Chairman, CEO and President, Henry Schein, Inc.

In 2002, MESAB supported more than 700 students at 27 South African universities and technical colleges, as well as enabled the advanced training of more than 300 nurse-midwives. In addition, MESAB launched the first phase of its new HIV/AIDS Palliative Care Initiative to support two programs that train community home-based workers in hospice care for those sick and dying of AIDS. The organization also sponsors mentor programs at each institution it backs and supports advanced training courses for rural nurses and midwives in maternal and infant care, including the treatment of HIV-AIDS.

“Mr. Bergman's unwavering participation has been invaluable for several years, and last year helped bring about one of the most successful benefit dinners in MESAB's history. We are honored to have his support, and that of leading U.S. companies, such as Henry Schein and 3M, again this year,” said Jim Scott, President, MESAB. “These successful industry partnerships help us address and overcome the shortage of highly skilled medical professionals in South Africa and meet the mounting healthcare challenges in our country.”

MESAB’s Sponsors
Major U.S. corporations and foundations support MESAB through participation at the awards dinner and through additional contributions. Companies that contributed to the 2003 MESAB fund-raiser award dinner include among others:

Chairman’s Circle:
§ The 3M Company
§ Stanley & Marion Bergman Family Charitable Fund
§ Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
§ The Coca-Cola Company
§ GE Industrial Systems
§ General Electric Company
§ GE African American Forum
§ Donald Gordon Foundation
§ Johnson & Johnson
§ Locke Lidell & Sapp LLP
§ Pfizer Inc.
§ Carol Tolan

Vice Chairman’s Circle:
§ Aon Corporation
§ Aventis Pasteur Pharmaceuticals, N.A.
§ Best Buy Co., Inc.
§ Blaylock & Partners, L.P.
§ Bloomberg, L.P.
§ CIGNA
§ Cline, Davis & Mann, Inc.
§ Computer Associates
§ Computer Associates, International
§ DaimlerChrysler Corporation
§ General Motors Corporation
§ Henry Schein, Inc.
§ Lockheed Martin
§ The Open Society Foundation
§ P. Vincent and Sally S. Lovoi Family Foundation
§ Marvin & Audrey Schein
§ Schering-Plough Research Institute
§ Textron Inc.
§ UBS Warburg
§ United Systems Integrators Corporation
§ United Theraputics
§ Weil, Gotschal & Manges, LLP

A complete list of sponsors can be obtained by contacting MESAB’s New Brunswick, NJ office at 732.745.1292 / mesab@mesab.org.

About MESAB

MESAB was founded in 1985 and is based in New Brunswick, N.J. with offices in Palo Alto, Calif. and in Braamfontein, South Africa. MESAB is a collaborative American and South African effort to improve the health of South Africa's black majority by training black health professionals. It is the largest source of private funds for students of color preparing for health care careers in South Africa. At its inception 18 years ago, MESAB was able to assist 12 black South Africans in fulfilling their dreams of obtaining a medical education. Since then, MESAB has awarded more than 5,300 scholarships to over 3,000 students, and the number of MESAB graduates exceeds 2,000. For more information, visit the MESAB Web site at www.mesab.org.


About Henry Schein, Inc.

Recognized for its excellent customer service and low prices, Henry Schein (Nasdaq: HSIC) serves more than 400,000 customers worldwide, including dental practices and laboratories, physician practices and veterinary clinics, as well as government and other institutions.

The Company operates its four business groups – Dental, Medical, International and Technology – through a centralized and automated distribution network, which provides customers in more than 125 countries with a comprehensive selection of over 90,000 national and Henry Schein private-brand products. Henry Schein also offers a wide range of innovative value-added practice solutions, including such leading practice management software systems as DENTRIX® and Easy Dental®, for dental practices, and AVImark® for veterinary clinics, which are installed in over 48,000 practices; and ArubA®, Henry Schein's electronic catalog and ordering system.

Headquartered in Melville, New York, Henry Schein employs more than 6,900 people in 16 countries. The Company’s 2002 sales reached a record $2.8 billion. For more information, visit the Henry Schein Web site at www.henryschein.com.

Medical Education for South African Blacks

Medical Education for South African Blacks

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