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Bristol Myers Grants $7.9M to Improve Access to Care Across US
The health equity grants will increase access to care and support diversity, cultural competency, and collaboration among community health workers across the US.
Bristol Myers Squibb recently granted $7.965 million to 24 US non-profit organizations to improve access to care for medically underserved patients across oncology, cardiology, immunology, and hematology therapeutic areas.
The health equity grants will boost community outreach and education, increase patient support and care coordination services, and support diversity, cultural competency, and collaboration among community health workers and patient navigators across the country.
The 24 grantees include patient advocacy groups, community-based and faith-based organizations, medical societies, and non-profit healthcare institutions.
So far, Bristol Myers Squibb has granted over $39 million to address health disparities.
“Through our Health Equity Commitments grants and partnerships, we focus on scaling what works in removing barriers that patients may face when accessing care,” Adam Lenkowsky, senior vice president and general manager of US cardiovascular, immunology, and oncology at Bristol Myers Squibb, said in the announcement.
“Complexities of specialty care bring unique challenges that community health workers and patient navigators can help solve. They are trusted members of their communities, have deep knowledge of health systems and are vital to medically underserved patients receiving high quality care, including access to medical innovations and clinical trials,” Lenkowsky continued.
In 2020, Bristol Myers Squibb’s launched a $150 million five-year investment called D&I and Health Equity Commitments. The initiative addresses health disparities, increases trial diversity, expands supplier diversity, boosts workforce representation, and supports social justice organizations.
And in 2021, the company awarded $11 million in health equity grants to address disease awareness and education, patient supportive services, access to care, create diversity in the healthcare and biomedical research workforce, and advance health equity policy research.
The recent grants will continue to drive deeper investments in proven health equity solutions, a Bristol Myers Squibb spokesperson explained.
For example, the predominantly Latino communities of Houston and El Paso, Texas, Orlando, Chicago, and Los Angeles will expand the role of Promotoras de Salud in lung cancer prevention, screening, and care.
Additionally, The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation will implement a pilot “train the trainer” program to boost its patient navigation center to improve the quality of care for African American patients.
