BD, Direct Relief and National Association of Community Health Centers Advance Health Equity in the U.S. with $1 Million Grant

 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.

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SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)