AmerisourceBergen Foundation makes $100K-plus commitment to hurricane relief
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — The AmerisourceBergen Foundation is stepping in to help with hurricane recovery experts. The nonprofit arm of AmerisourceBergen has committed more than $100,000 to communities impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
The foundation has made more than $55,000 in targeted donations to regional relief support organizations in Houston and the Caribbean. Among the organizations receiving fundsare the International Medical Corps, Center for Disaster, Hurricane Irma Fund, Greater Houston Community Foundation and Austin Pets Alive! Each organization received a grant for focusing on building healthy communities and improving patient outcomes, with their efforts including medication deliver, mobile medical units, temporary housing and shelter for people and pets and long-term disaster relief needs.
The foundation also will match up to $100,000 in AmerisourceBergen associate and customer donations made to the American Red Cross.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the devastation in communities across the country and Caribbean — and as millions of people now face the daunting challenge of rebuilding their lives, we hope to bolster the ongoing relief efforts led by organizations on the ground,” said Gina Clark, AmerisourceBergen VP and chief communications and administration officer and AmerisourceBergen Foundation president. “In order to maximize our impact, we identified organizations that align with our core mission to improve the health and wellbeing of patient populations.”
AmerisourceBergen said that during natural disasters, the company uses its network of distribution centers, couriers and associates to ensure providers have access to pharmaceuticals. When Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, the company identified alternate routes and such alternate delivery methods as airlifting supplies or using vehicles that could traverse high-standing water to deliver to hospitals in the Houston metro area. The company also offered advance ordering options to hospitals in Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma making landfall.
“For AmerisourceBergen, we are committed to ensuring patient access to vital pharmaceutical products every day. It is during these rare occasions, when something like an unprecedented natural disaster jeopardizes the critical and necessary medical deliveries that the role of a AmerisourceBergen — comes to the forefront,” AmerisourceBergen SVP distribution services Erin Horvath said.
In Puerto Rico, the company stocked its Puerto Rico distribution center with non-perishable food and pallets of water, as well as a refrigerated trailer that could store temperature-sensitive products for an extended amount of time in case the distribution center lost power. And in Houston, the company’s distribution center offered families access to an on-site shower and such emergency supplies as food, water, clothes and baby food.
“Successful supply chains rely on a trusted partner with a strong infrastructure in place to react to the unexpected. During these times, we are working around the clock to provide hospitals and healthcare providers with the products they rely on to treat those who are immediately impacted, as well as long-term patients with chronic or existing life-threatening conditions,” Horvath said.