Case Study: Disaster Preparedness
Natural disasters, terrorist threats and the potential for widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases underscore the importance of disaster preparedness. Baxter works to protect its employees, the continuity of its business and citizens worldwide in a number of ways.
Baxter formed a Global Pandemic Preparedness Team in 2005, as well as teams at the regional, country and facility levels, to facilitate companywide coordination, planning, decision-making and communication in the event of a crisis. Baxter also is working with its suppliers to address potential vulnerabilities and assess supply-interruption risks due to industry shortages, natural disasters or other occurrences.
Baxter partners with governments and companies around the world to develop and produce vaccines and other therapeutics to protect citizens worldwide against bio-terrorism and infectious diseases. In recent years, the company has been involved in the development and production of vaccines targeted at some of the world's most critical diseases, including meningococcal disease, tick-borne encephalitis, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), smallpox and avian flu (see Product Innovation ).
Additionally, Baxter has sponsored disaster preparedness seminars and worked with the European Union (EU) to test national and pan-European response to a potential EU-wide influenza pandemic. The company also provides government agencies around the world, including the U.S. Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with stockpiles of essential healthcare products for use in medical emergencies.
