Henry Schein contributes influenza vaccine to support CDC campaigns
In conjunction with the start of influenza vaccination efforts across the country, Henry Schein, Inc. has announced that it is donating influenza vaccine to communities involved in two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) programs.
The donated vaccine, which is being provided to local health departments, will help extend the reach of the CDC's 2003-2004 national Influenza Immunization Education Campaign -- "Protect yourself. Protect your loved ones. Get Your Flu Vaccine!" -- in selected U.S. cities, and the CDC's Racial and Ethnic Adult Disparities in Immunization Initiative (READII), which targets five additional areas of the country. The donation is part of the Company's corporate citizenship program Henry Schein Cares™, which seeks to narrow the disparity in the delivery of healthcare services and information in underserved communities, both in the United States and abroad, by providing resources to support the programs of community-based health professionals and their organizations. In addition to the vaccine, two Henry Schein vendor partners are donating other necessary immunization supplies: Becton Dickinson and Company is contributing their BD IntegraTM 3ml Syringes with Retracting BD PrecisionGlideTM Needle, as well as BDTM Sharps Collectors, and Microflex Corporation is supplying gloves.
"These two CDC programs mesh perfectly with the mission of Henry Schein Cares," said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman, CEO and President of Henry Schein. "As a leading distributor of vaccines in the United States and the largest provider of healthcare products and services to office-based practitioners in the combined North American and European markets, we recognize that we have a responsibility to support valuable programs that deliver important healthcare services and information to underserved segments of our society. We take this obligation seriously, and are proud to support the CDC as it seeks to protect Americans from the single most common vaccine-preventable disease. We also greatly appreciate the support of Becton Dickinson and Microflex. As leaders in our industry, we are excited to have their support in the program."
The cities targeted through the Influenza Immunization Education Campaign include Austin, Houston, Galveston, and Brazoria, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis, Ind., Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa, and St. Petersburg, Fla.; Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles, Calif.; and Baltimore, Md. Cities including in the READII program include Chicago, Ill.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Rochester, N.Y.; San Antonio, Texas; an 18 county area of the Mississippi Delta, as well as Mississippi's Hinds County.
These cities were included in the CDC's extended efforts because of their relatively low influenza immunization rates.
"Awareness of the seriousness of influenza and the importance of vaccination is the first step in combating the disease," said Dr. Walter A. Orenstein, Director of the CDC's National Immunization Program. "Each year, 114,000 people in the United States are hospitalized because of influenza, and about 36,000 people die annually due to the disease and its complications. Through vaccination, we can reduce these numbers, particularly among elderly and chronically ill citizens who are at greatest risk. These programs will help raise awareness of the facts and provide additional access to underserved people in these communities."
"Educating underserved populations or segments of our society where there historically has been resistance to influenza vaccination is an important step in bridging the health status and healthcare disparity gap," said Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and a member of Henry Schein's Board of Directors. "These CDC initiatives are important, and I am pleased that Henry Schein has chosen to support them."
The CDC's 2003-2004 Influenza Immunization Education Campaign was launched October 1 and runs through January 2004. READII is a two-year demonstration project being conducted in five sites to improve influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates for African-Americas and Hispanics 65 years of age or older.
