Baxter has committed resources to relief organizations and Baxter teams are providing support to hospitals and healthcare providers who are on the frontlines of patient care.
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- Donations for Humanitarian Relief: Through the Baxter International Foundation, we’ve provided financial support to Project HOPE to mobilize critical supplies for healthcare workers in China. The organization has delivered personal protective equipment throughout the country, including more than two million respirator masks, 280,000 pairs of exam gloves, and 11,000 protective coveralls. We have also made cash donations to the Chinese Red Cross to aid in its relief efforts.
- Product Donations: Given the critical role our medical devices and medicines play in patient care, we have a comprehensive product donation program to support communities in need around the world. In response to the coronavirus outbreak, we have donated several continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) systems, which are used to treat patients experiencing sudden kidney failure due to a severe case of the disease. Additionally, we have donated thousands of masks and other personal protective equipment for use by healthcare providers.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): PPE, such as gloves, masks and gowns, is in high demand by healthcare professionals and companies like Baxter, as our infection control procedures require that all manufacturing employees wear PPE while on the job. We have worked collaboratively with our global network of suppliers to significantly ramp up the amount of PPE available
for our employees and partners. We have donated thousands of pieces of PPE for use by healthcare providers in China, provided PPE to our suppliers so they could restart operations while protecting their teams, and distributed PPE to our employees so they could take them home for their families. - Critical Support for Healthcare Providers: Our team is providing frontline assistance to healthcare providers as they manage the influx of critically ill patients requiring care. We have increased production of key products and optimized our supply chain network, including working with third-party suppliers and expanding shipping options, all to ensure healthcare needs are being met. Our technical services and clinical support teams have quickly installed more than 150 CRRT and hemodialysis systems across several hospitals in China and have provided clinical training to hospital staff to enable them to treat more patients. We are also using digital tools for live training and individualized clinical support for nurses and physicians.
- Supporting Dialysis Patients: The outbreak has impacted other areas of healthcare. Given reduced shipping capacity in China, our logistics team is working tirelessly to ensure that home dialysis patients have the supplies they need to continue to complete daily treatment. In Hong Kong and China, our clinical teams are using virtual training tools, so patients can begin home dialysis treatment without delay.
- Protecting Our Employees: We immediately activated our response plan to protect our employees’ health and safety across all Baxter facilities. Our plan follows the guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization and includes steps such as symptom screening at building entrances, use of respiratory protection for key personnel, and travel restrictions. Our existing flexible workplace policies have enabled our employees to work remotely while maintaining business continuity. All Baxter sites are currently prepared to implement additional measures should the need arise.