Funding to Four Community Health Centers Advances
Medication Management Programs for Vulnerable Patients Managing
Chronic Disease
FRANKLIN
LAKES, N.J., Aug. 8, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading
global medical technology company, along with Direct Relief and the
National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), today
announced they have awarded four community health centers with a
total of $1.08 million to implement
programs to support chronic disease management to underserved
communities.
The BD Helping Build Healthy Communities™ Innovations
in Care award recognizes U.S. community health centers for
excellence in helping vulnerable patients manage their complex
chronic diseases and improve their overall health. This year's
awardees will receive a grant for $270,000 each to build upon the demonstrated
impact their novel care approaches have on at-risk populations. All
four community health centers also received the Innovations in
Care award in 2021.
The supplemental funding will enable the health centers to
continue enhancing impact through holistic, culturally sensitive,
team-based care and by providing pharmacist-led patient education
and counseling. The funding will also be used to help remove
barriers to care by addressing Social Determinants of
Health (SDOH) — including where people are born, live, learn,
work, play, worship and their age, all of which affect a wide range
of health and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.
"Racial and ethnic minorities in the
United States are more likely to experience worse health
outcomes for complex chronic conditions, yet less likely to receive
preventive health services," said Tom
Polen, chairman, CEO and president of BD. "We are directly
addressing these health inequities by investing in community health
centers that help ensure underserved patients receive quality care.
These centers are located in high-need areas, available to all
regardless of their ability to pay, and deliver culturally relevant
care to meet the specific needs and priorities of their
communities."
The following Innovations in Care 2022 award winners
are:
- Healthnet in Indianapolis, Indiana, is using its grant
funding to expand a diabetes education program to assess and
proactively address the behavioral health and SDOH needs of
pre-diabetic and diabetic patients so they can manage their
diagnosis and live a healthy lifestyle. The grant is also helping
fund a clinical dietitian to provide proactive outreach and
nutrition education for at-risk patients.
- Northeast Valley Health Corporation in San Fernando,
California, is using its grant funding to ensure high-risk
Hispanic patients have the opportunity to meet with a clinical
pharmacist for medication reconciliation and adherence counseling,
and to offer assessments based on SDOH. Funding will also enable a
bilingual patient navigator to connect patients with social
services that address identified needs, in addition to the creation
of an automated patient risk assignment to provide more customized
services and referrals by a patient care team.
- Share Our Selves in Costa
Mesa, California, is using its grant funding to enable
patients who face multiple chronic conditions and take multiple,
complex medications, to receive individualized care coordination
including medication delivery, medication synchronization, patient
education, remote monitoring device training and virtual visits
with pharmacists. Additional funding is being used to enhance
technologies that will better integrate patient SDOH data alongside
their medical information to create more impactful
interventions.
- Wahiawa Center for Community Health in Wahiawa, Hawaii, is using its grant
funding to support the creation of an integrated care team and care
model to address chronic disease, particularly within Asian and
Pacific Islander communities. This team approach seeks to improve
medication adherence to prevent health complications associated
with chronic disease and cultural, social, economic and
environmental challenges like poor health literacy and a lack of
food and housing. The addition of a population health coordinator
provides a dedicated resource for collecting and tracking more
in-depth data on SDOH, hemoglobin A1c, health screening tools and
comprehensive diabetes services throughout the year.
Thomas Tighe, president and CEO of Direct Relief said, "This
effort is an extraordinary example of leadership by BD to award and
elevate initiatives from community health centers that improve the
health and lives of people with chronic health conditions. Direct
Relief is deeply grateful to BD and to NACHC for their
collaboration and support."
"Health centers are more than healers. Health centers are
problem-solvers who reach beyond the walls of the conventional
health care delivery system to address the social drivers of
health, such as stable housing, food insecurity, mental health and
so much more," said Rachel A.
Gonzales-Hanson, interim president and CEO of
NACHC. "Private funding partnerships made possible by BD and
Direct Relief are essential to support innovative approaches that
health centers bring to foster wellness and health equity in
underserved communities."
The BD Helping Build Healthy Communities initiative, which is
funded by BD and the BD Foundation, and implemented jointly by
Direct Relief and NACHC, has provided 52 awards to community health
centers in 20 states since 2013, with a total commitment of
$22.6 million in cash and product
donations. Visit news.bd.com/esg for more information on the
company's environmental, social and governance commitments and
progress.
For more information about the 2022 winners of BD Helping Build
Healthy Communities Innovations in Care award,
visit www.directrelief.org/bdhbhc.
About BD
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in
the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical
discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company
supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing
innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance
both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health
care providers. BD and its 75,000 employees have a passion and
commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians'
care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately
detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the
next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence
in virtually every country and partners with organizations around
the world to address some of the most challenging global health
issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can
help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve
safety and expand access to health care. For more information on
BD, please visit bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at
www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/ and Twitter @BDandCo.
About Direct Relief
A humanitarian organization committed to improving the health
and lives of people affected by poverty and emergencies, Direct
Relief delivers lifesaving medical resources throughout the U.S.
and world to communities in need – without regard to politics,
religion, or ability to pay. For more information,
visit www.DirectRelief.org.
About National Association of Community Health
Centers
Established in 1971, the National Association of Community
Health Centers (NACHC) serves as the leading national voice for
America's Health Centers and as an advocate for health care access
for the medically underserved and uninsured. For more information,
visit www.nachc.org.
Contacts:
Media:
|
Investors:
|
Abigail
Cardona
|
Francesca
DeMartino
|
Corporate
Communications
|
SVP, Head of Investor
Relations
|
201.458.3752
|
201.847.5743
|
abigail_cardona@bd.com
|
francesca.demartino@bd.com
|
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SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)