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Stamford, Conn. – May 18, 2021 – Biogen and the Biogen Foundation have committed more than $500,000 in personal protective equipment and financial support for Americares response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The donation includes a $250,000 grant to support a public matching gift campaign Americares is launching this week benefitting COVID-19 relief in India, plus nearly 200,000 masks for outbreaks across the globe.
The Biogen Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the global biotechnology company Biogen, will match contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $250,000, for a potential total of $500,000 to support health centers and health workers throughout India providing life-saving care, with a focus on vulnerable communities in India’s 10 most-affected states. To learn more and donate, go to sandbox.americares.org/COVIDIndiaX2
To date, more than 25 million COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the country and India now ranks second behind only the United States for the most infections in the world. While the number of new infections in India is declining, the country continues to report more than 4,000 deaths daily with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reporting 4,106 deaths on Monday.
“Americares is working around the clock to provide health facilities with the supplies they need to protect health workers and care for patients with COVID-19,” said Americares President and CEO Christine Squires. “We are so grateful for Biogen and the Biogen Foundation’s incredible support. Thanks to this very generous donation, our supporters can be assured that their gifts will go even further to meet urgent needs for life-saving medical equipment and supplies and strengthen India’s health system for the longer term.”
The Americares India team based in Mumbai is supporting 50 dedicated COVID-19 treatment facilities in 10 states with life-saving medical equipment and desperately needed personal protective equipment. Americares has been responding to the pandemic in India for more than a year, supporting over 100 health facilities in 14 states. Since the start of the pandemic, Americares has delivered over 15 million protective supplies for health workers in more than 30 countries, along with critically needed training, mental health support and access to essential health services.
“We are inspired by the heroism of healthcare workers across India and honored that our collaboration with Americares will enable us to help those in need,” said Kate Dawson, MD, Head of Therapeutics Development Unit at Biogen and Chair of the Biogen Foundation, which supports access to science education and essential human services for children and their families globally. “Biogen cares deeply about public health and our Foundation’s grant builds on the $12.4 million we have committed to date to COVID-19 relief since the start of the pandemic, including almost $400,000 in employee giving and in-kind donations in support for India. I’d like to thank everyone who is giving generously to this urgent cause.”
Americares has professional relief workers ready to respond to disasters at a moment’s notice and stocks emergency medicine and supplies in the U.S., Europe and India that can be delivered quickly in times of crisis. Americares has a distribution center in Mumbai and a team of 100 staff and medical professionals in India dedicated to improving access to care for families affected by poverty or disaster.
Americares has been providing assistance to India since the early 1990s and has had a local presence in Mumbai since 2006. In addition to responding to floods, severe storms, disease outbreaks and other emergencies, Americares India operates mobile health centers that provide primary care services six days a week in the slums of Mumbai as well as a successful school-based health program reaching 22,000 children across 79 schools.
Americares responds to more than 30 natural disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide each year, establishes long-term recovery projects and brings disaster preparedness programs to vulnerable communities. Since its founding more than 40 years ago, Americares has provided more than $19 billion in aid to 164 countries, including the United States.