GE HealthCare launches philanthropic foundation aimed at maternal health

2024-03-13

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来源: FierceBiotech

The GE HealthCare Foundation will begin by supporting four nonprofit organizations with grant funding, including the Urban Institute, the Lwala Community Alliance, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance and Project ECHO.

GE HealthCare has set up its own philanthropic arm and given it the goal of helping to bring precision medicine to underserved communities, with a first focus on improving maternal mortality.

The company pointed to a recent report from the United Nations and World Health Organization showing that a person dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth and that statistics have estimated about 287,000 maternal deaths worldwide in 2020.

Incorporated as a separate charitable organization, the GE HealthCare Foundation will also work to address an international shortage of primary care clinicians, nurses and midwife professionals.

“When we looked at where we could focus the foundation’s first programs, the lack of resources and care for moms and babies around the world clearly indicated where we should start,” the foundation’s president, Danielle Halstrom, said in a statement.

“Beginning our foundation’s work, we look forward to continuing to expand that impact across other issue areas as an extension of our company’s mission striving for equitable healthcare access,” added Halstrom, who also serves as GE HealthCare’s chief communications and corporate marketing officer.

The foundation will begin by supporting four nonprofit organizations with grant funding, including the Urban Institute, the Lwala Community Alliance, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance and Project ECHO.

With the Urban Institute, the foundation will back the development of a public knowledge base of Medicaid policies in the U.S. as well as artificial intelligence-powered methods designed to reduce maternal health disparities. Meanwhile, the Kenya-based Lwala Community Alliance will receive funding for training and equipment for clinicians to perform obstetric ultrasound exams.

The Black Mamas Matter Alliance maintains a U.S. network of Black women-led and Black-led birth and reproductive justice organizations. The foundation will work to help raise awareness through BMMA’s Black Maternal Health Week campaign and training institute, as well as support a pilot program for its Black Maternal Health Incubator Hub aimed at the Black maternal, perinatal and reproductive health workforce.

Finally, Project ECHO focuses on increasing the capacity of the public health workforce in Indonesia. The foundation will fund the building of primary health centers in the region to provide child healthcare services such as maternal nutrition, pre- and neonatal maternal care, safe delivery and family planning.

In addition, the foundation said it plans to support humanitarian relief programs during natural disasters, as well as provide a gift-matching program for U.S. employees.

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