BD announces winners of 2014 "Innovations in Care" awards

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company – together with Direct Relief and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) – has announced the winners of the 2014 "Innovations in Care" awards to seven community health centers as part of the BD Helping Build Healthy Communities^SM initiative. The announcement was made at the 2014 National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) Community Health Institute and EXPO held in San Diego, CA.

BD Helping Build Healthy Communities is a four-year initiative to expand access and improve care for underserved and vulnerable populations in the U.S. The initiative, first announced in 2012 with a founding pledge at the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, includes a BD commitment of approximately $5 million in cash and product to clinics and community health centers (CHCs) across the US. The initiative has two components, including:

1. A pledge to donate at least 20 million insulin needles and syringes to community health centers across the country to support diabetes care management for uninsured and under-insured Americans. To date, BD has donated 9.1 million syringes to community health centers.
2. Innovation in Care awards of up $100,000 to CHCs that are addressing the prevention and treatment of diseases that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. Awards are based on CHC proposals for innovative approaches to diabetes, cervical cancer and HIV prevention and management. BD has a long history of developing tools to help diagnose and manage these conditions and is committed to improving care for those who lack access. Decisions on innovation award winners are guided by a panel of reviewers with expertise in clinical and community healthcare in each of the three disease areas.

The winners of the 2014 awards include seven CHCs, which will receive cash awards of $100,000 to support their innovative programs:

Diabetes Prevention and Management
Santa Rosa Community Health Center – Santa Rosa, CA
Asian Health Services – Oakland, CA
Utah Navaho Health System – Montezuma Creek, UT
Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center – Ahoskie, NC

HIV Prevention and Management
Morris Heights Health Center – Bronx, NY
Housing Works Health Services III – Brooklyn, NY

Cervical Cancer Prevention
Charles Drew Health Center – Omaha, NE

"Clinics and community health centers all over the country provide critical services for millions of uninsured and under-insured Americans. The dedicated professionals who work in these clinics are developing innovative approaches to care that address the specific needs and circumstances of the communities they serve," said Vincent A. Forlenza, Chairman, CEO and President of BD. "We are excited and proud to be providing support to initiate and scale-up these new models of care. In the coming years, we will be working with Direct Relief and NACHC to broadly communicate the successes of these local programs to community health centers nationwide so that they can be replicated where appropriate."

"The BD Helping Build Healthy Communities initiative recognizes a huge and typically unrecognized fact: clinics and community health centers are America's healthcare safety net and provide quality, affordable preventive and primary care to those who wouldn't otherwise have access," said Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief. "Direct Relief is delighted to once again work with BD on this new and unique initiative to support these providers."

Community health centers serve 23 million people – one in 15 people living in the United States. People who use a health center as their healthcare home have lower rates of emergency department visits and fewer hospital admissions. Demand for affordable primary care is expected to climb in the coming years as more people gain access to insurance coverage. Yet, there are still 62 million people living in America who are struggling with little or no access to a primary care provider.

"This multi-year initiative brings together resources that make a difference in the lives of the medically underserved," said Malvise A. Scott, Senior Vice President of Partnership and Resource Development at NACHC. "We appreciate this partnership and the recognition of the important work of community health centers across the country."