CDC Foundation Receives In-kind Contributions to Help Ensure Health Care Worker Safety in West Africa
BD Provides Vital Supplies for Use in Countries Impacted by Ebola Outbreak
The unprecedented Ebola epidemic continues to take a heavy toll on a number of West African nations, particularly Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. The U.S. government as well as philanthropies and businesses have stepped forward to help in the response. To aid in these efforts, the CDC Foundation today announced that the global medical technology company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has contributed vital in-kind contributions, including infusion therapy and blood sampling devices that help reduce the probability of transmission of the Ebola virus to health care workers when taking blood samples from patients. This contribution is going through the CDC Foundation’s Global Disaster Response Fund, which is contributing essential materials and assistance to advance CDC’s response to the Ebola outbreak.
“There will be a severe cost to this unprecedented Ebola epidemic if we delay our response, so a surge in resources and aid is critically needed,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Contributions such as this one from BD will help reverse this epidemic.”
Since early July, more than 700 CDC staff members have provided logistics, staffing, communication, analytics, management, and other support functions both from Atlanta and West Africa. More than 100 CDC staff are currently working in the most-impacted nations assisting with various vital response efforts such as surveillance, contact tracing, database management, and health education.
“It is essential for BD to support the efforts of CDC and other leading organizations as they battle Ebola on the front lines,” said Vince Forlenza, BD chairman, CEO and president. “It is also highly consistent with our company purpose of Helping all people live healthy lives, in this circumstance under the most extreme conditions. Beyond the immediate supply of protective devices and cash funding, we need to collaborate to help strengthen the health system in these countries for the long term.”
The devices donated by BD will assist with blood collection and will reduce the possibility of a health care worker being stuck by a contaminated needle. This contribution to the CDC Foundation is part of a larger response effort by BD to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.
“We are extremely grateful for this generous in-kind contribution from BD,” said Charles Stokes, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “This contribution of essential medical supplies will help in protecting people and saving lives. The CDC Foundation is proud to help support CDC efforts in West Africa to combat this unprecedented epidemic.”
Individual or business contributions to the CDC Foundation’s Global Disaster Response Fund can be made on the CDC Foundation’s Web site (www.cdcfoundation.org/ebola-outbreak) or by phone, fax or mail. To discuss giving opportunities or an in-kind donation, contact the CDC Foundation at 1-888-880-4CDC.
Claire Greenwell, 404.443.1126, cgreenwell@cdcfoundation.org
Established by Congress, the CDC Foundation helps the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) do more, faster, by forging public-private partnerships to support CDC’s work 24/7 to save lives and protect people from health and safety threats. The CDC Foundation currently manages more than 200 CDC-led programs in the United States and in 58 countries around the world. Since 1995 the CDC Foundation has launched more than 700 programs and raised $400 million to advance the life-saving work of CDC. For more information, please visit www.cdcfoundation.org.
Tags: