Product Donations and Grants
Baxter’s product donations and grants help address the challenge of access to healthcare worldwide. In 2008, the company donated and shipped $10.9 million in products to help people in need in 58 countries (see map ). In 2008, The Baxter International Foundation made grants totaling $2.82 million to organizations in 20 countries, largely to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare for the disadvantaged and underserved in communities where Baxter employees live and work.
Baxter donates products that recipient organizations have requested specifically, including intravenous (IV) solutions, pharmaceuticals and hemophilia products. Baxter’s Community Relations team manages the donations process, guided by Baxter’s Global Product Donation Policy, which covers areas such as licensing, expiration and dating, accounting and tax laws, and export requirements.
The Community Relations team works with supply chain managers and others in the company to identify opportunities to donate products, matching available inventory to need. In some cases, Baxter donates excess products that might be classified as hazardous waste if destroyed, which has the additional benefit of helping Baxter reduce waste and associated expenses.
During 2008, Baxter continued its major donor partnerships with AmeriCares and Direct Relief International. AmeriCares, an international disaster-relief and humanitarian-aid organization, airlifts critical medicines, medical supplies and other aid to areas suffering humanitarian crises resulting from natural disasters or political strife. Direct Relief International, a non-profit, non-sectarian humanitarian-assistance organization, provides medical assistance to victims of poverty, disaster and civil unrest. With complementary missions, yet different local partnerships and areas of focus, these two organizations facilitate Baxter product donations.
Baxter worked closely with AmeriCares on several projects in 2008, including donating products and supporting employee volunteering to help victims of the earthquake in China and cyclone in Myanmar. The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter, awarded AmeriCares a grant to support the development of a warehouse in India to more effectively distribute donated healthcare products throughout the region. See Case Study: The Baxter International Foundation Helps AmeriCares Expand Access to Healthcare in India, Asia and Northern Africa.
In 2008, Baxter received the “Power of Partnership” award from AmeriCares and the Healthcare Distribution Management Association. The award recognizes medical product manufacturing and distribution organizations that have shown exceptional dedication to expanding access to healthcare for disadvantaged populations in the developing world and in the United States.
Baxter also facilitates access to its products through support of non-profit organizations such as the World Federation of Hemophilia, an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with hemophilia and related bleeding disorders. Baxter is the founding member and lead contributor to the organization’s Global Alliance for Progress (GAP) program, which works to improve the diagnosis and treatment of hemophilia in developing countries. See Case Study: World Federation of Hemophilia Global Alliance for Progress.
Baxter also contributes products through its patient assistance programs, which provide continued access to products when a patient experiences a lapse in insurance coverage or faces other challenges that limit access. These contributions equaled $2.54 million in 2008.
Finally, Baxter has been a strong supporter of Patient Services, Inc. (PSI), a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to patients with rare disorders to help them retain their health insurance coverage. Over the last 11 years, Baxter has contributed more than $3 million to PSI's programs that support patients with hemophilia, Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AAT), primary immune disease and protein C deficiency. Through these efforts, along with contributions made by other corporations, PSI has assisted more than 1,500 patients in the hemophilia community alone.
Examples of Baxter Product Donations in 2008
Baxter donated IV solutions to five organizations in Myanmar to help prepare the region for a potential cholera outbreak after Cyclone Nargis affected more than two million people. Yangon General Hospital as well as four local in-country aid organizations each received 4,000 liters of the donated product, enough to treat 500 patients suffering from cholera and other diarrheal diseases. Baxter’s donation set the groundwork for other pharmaceutical and medical supply companies in India to also contribute to the relief effort, including a company’s donation of 17,000 infusion sets to facilitate the administration of Baxter IV solutions.
Other examples of Baxter product donations in 2008 included:
- China – committed products and donations to relief efforts following the earthquake in Sichuan, including IV solutions, renal therapies and critical care nutrition products
- Kenya – supplied several products to provide emergency healthcare in relief camps and communities for victims of violence over the disputed elections
- Sudan – provided treatments for gastrointestinal distress and community acquired bacterial infections for those in refugee camps in the Darfur region, where Baxter has donated products since unrest began in the area several years ago
- Zimbabwe – donated supplies to Harare Central Hospital’s curative and preventative services department to address critical healthcare needs in response to violence following recent elections, HIV/AIDS, and the government’s blockade of humanitarian assistance
Examples of Baxter International Foundation Grants in 2008
In 2008, The Baxter International Foundation made grants totaling $2.82 million to organizations in 20 countries, the majority suggested by a Baxter employee or facility in the area. Specifically, grants awarded in 2008 will help increase health and nutrition services for children, provide mental health services to the homeless, expand training for healthcare professionals addressing public health needs, and improve access to healthcare for children, the uninsured and the elderly.
Organizations that received foundation grants in 2008 included:
- Argentina – Medicos del Mundo in Buenos Aires, to train 60 health promoters in 16 neighborhoods of Buenos Aires
- Canada – CONTACT in Ontario, to hire a registered dietician to manage health conditions and prevent health problems for at-risk children in two counties
- Costa Rica – Centro Educativo El Carmelo in San Jose, to increase psychological services for at risk children and their families
- Japan – Canbus no Kai in Miyakonojo, to upgrade rehabilitation services to prepare people with disabilities to live independently
- Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico Down Syndrome Foundation in Cupey Bajo, San Juan, to provide motor oral therapy training for health professionals working with people with Down Syndrome
- Spain – Compania de Danza Mobile Association in Seville, to expand psychomotor rehabilitation services through dance and music for young children with developmental disabilities
- United States – Teen Living Programs in Chicago, Illinois, to enhance the organization’s health and nutrition program for at-risk homeless youth
- United States – Harrisonburg-Rockingham Free Clinic in Harrisonburg, Virginia, to offer dental services for low-income and uninsured patients
See a complete list of recent Baxter International Foundation grants with additional detail.
In 2008, The Baxter International Foundation provided a grant to Fundacao Julita to expand mental health services for low-income residents in the community of Jardim Sao Luis in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Learn more about Fundacao Julita and the support the foundation is providing to this organization.
In 2008, The Baxter International Foundation provided a grant to Associação Obra do Berço for a specialized nurse to train staff in basic health services, hygiene and emergency care in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Learn more about Associação Obra do Berço and the support the foundation is providing to this organization.
