DEERFIELD, Ill. - Baxter International Inc. and The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter, today announced their combined 2004 charitable giving, focused on increasing access to healthcare, helping underdeveloped nations and countries in crisis, and addressing other critical community needs. In 2004, the company and the foundation combined gave more than $14 million:

• $2.6 million from the foundation, including $1.9 million in worldwide grants, and more than $675,000 from the foundation's Dollars for Doers and Matching Gifts programs;
  
• $7.5 million from Baxter product donations to underdeveloped nations and countries in crisis; and
  
• $4 million from Baxter's businesses and facilities to address critical local needs.

Foundation Aims to Improve Healthcare Worldwide
In 2004, The Baxter International Foundation awarded grants totaling $1.9 million to 50 organizations in 17 countries on four continents. Through its grant program, the foundation funds initiatives that improve global access to quality and cost-effective healthcare. Specifically, the grants awarded in 2004 will help improve access to healthcare for children, the uninsured and the elderly, prevent child abuse and neglect, promote health education, expand specialized training opportunities for healthcare providers and aid victims of global disasters.

Through one of the grants, the foundation partnered with the Dominican Association of Rehabilitation, Inc. (ADR) to expand and strengthen community-based physical rehabilitation services in San Cristobal and Haina, both in the Dominican Republic. This foundation grant enables ADR to offer an occupational therapy program in San Cristobal and continue needed physiatric consultations in Haina. The grant also helps to improve and increase the quality of services throughout the program by enhancing the professional training of assistants and technologists in physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and modernizing outdated therapeutic equipment.

Additional organizations that received grants in 2004 from the foundation include:

• Gemeinnutziger Frauenverein Zurich, to support the addition of a specially trained staff member to identify and work with special-needs children in Zurich, Switzerland.
  
• Mission Kamarata, to support the salaries and transportation of a rural doctor, nurse and physician assistant to serve children and adult native Pemones living in the region of Kamarata in the Bolivar state of Venezuela.
  
• Hospice of Northeastern Illinois, for the development of a comprehensive palliative care and hospice program for children with a life-threatening or terminal illness.
  
• Medicins du Monde Belgique, to support the hiring of a program coordinator and initiate a mobile healthcare for the homeless program in Belgium.
  
• Southwest Florida Chapter of the American Red Cross, to aid victims of Hurricane Charley in Sarasota, Fla.

Foundation Supports Philanthropic Efforts of Baxter Employees
In addition to grants, the foundation also supports employees in their personal philanthropic efforts. Through the Dollars for Doers program, which awards grants to organizations in the United States where employees volunteer, the foundation contributed a total of $36,700 in 2004. Through the Matching Gifts program, the foundation also matched more than $639,000 in employee donations to qualified cultural, health and educational organizations.

Baxter Helps Underdeveloped Nations and Countries in Crisis
Baxter International Inc. donated more than $7.5 million in vital medical products in 2004, primarily through the international disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization AmeriCares. These products were distributed to more than 40 countries in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean that experienced crisis or disaster in 2004. The majority of the donated products contributed to sustainable initiatives that AmeriCares has in place in these countries, including the regions in South Asia affected by the tsunami in December.

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 communities where Baxter employees live and work.

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), through its subsidiaries, assists health-care 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.

Baxter International Inc.

Baxter International Inc.

At Baxter, sustainability means creating lasting social, environmental and economic value by addressing the needs of the company’s wide-ranging stakeholder base. The company's sustainability efforts support Baxter's mission to apply innovative science in the development of products and therapies that save and sustain patients' lives.

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