NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Underscoring its
worldwide commitment to children with HIV/AIDS, Bristol-Myers Squibb
Company (NYSE: BMY) today joined Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in
opening a new clinical center at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's
Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The new center is
dedicated to research and treatment of children's immune system disorders
and infectious diseases.
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Pediatric Infectious Disease and Immunology
Center is one of three new clinical centers at the children's hospital made
possible by a $5 million gift from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation.
"At Bristol-Myers Squibb, we believe that together we can prevail over
serious illness," said Jill DeSimone, senior vice president of the
company's U.S. Virology division. "We are committed as a company in the
battle against HIV/AIDS here in our community and throughout the world, and
we stand united with others who are working to improve the lives of
children and all people afflicted with this debilitating disease."
The new infectious disease and immunology center is the latest example
of the company's support for the New Brunswick children's hospital, built
in part with a philanthropic gift from Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. The
center will not only treat pediatric HIV, it will also focus on emerging
resistant infections, including those caused by community-acquired
methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
This past spring, The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital opened a pediatric rheumatology
center dedicated to the research and treatment of rheumatic diseases such
as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Last year, the children's hospital
opened a pediatric metabolism center to focus on obesity and its related
health effects.
"Our hospital is extremely proud of our longstanding partnership with
Bristol-Myers Squibb," said Stephen K. Jones, president and chief executive
officer of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. "Thanks to their
generous support, our children's hospital is helping families confront some
of the most serious health threats facing children."
Bristol-Myers Squibb's SECURE THE FUTURE
The new Pediatric Infectious Disease and Immunology Center is also an
example of Bristol-Myers Squibb's efforts to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic,
not just through its medicines, but through philanthropy. Another example
is SECURE THE FUTURE(R), a $150 million commitment by Bristol-Myers Squibb
to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa -- the largest corporate commitment of its kind
ever made.
SECURE THE FUTURE helps women and children through a range of programs
such as a network of children's HIV clinics and the Pediatric AIDS Corps in
partnership with Baylor College of Medicine.
"Bristol-Myers Squibb has set the bar when it comes to a corporate
response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic," said Mark W. Kline, M.D., president of
the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative at Texas Children's
Hospital. "SECURE THE FUTURE represents a new standard in terms of the size
of the commitment and the scope, which includes community outreach and
education as well as expanding access to care."
Benefiting Children in New Jersey and Africa
Patricia Whitley-Williams, M.D., knows the conditions in Africa and in
New Jersey firsthand. Whitley-Williams is Physician-in-Chief at the New
Brunswick children's hospital. In 2006 she spent six weeks in South Africa
on a medical mission sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Whitley-Williams said the treatment, research and education initiatives
developed at the Children's Hospital can provide valuable lessons for
physicians in Africa. At the same time, physicians working in Africa could
share best practices with colleagues in New Jersey.
"One of the many things I learned in South Africa is that children and
families who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS are the same everywhere,
with many of the same issues," Whitley-Williams said. "There are issues of
access to treatment, adherence to medications, and the challenge of
delivering care in a child-friendly fashion, so clearly our physicians here
and in Africa have much to learn from each other."
In addition to its groundbreaking work in Africa, Bristol-Myers Squibb
supports local, regional and national initiatives dedicated to HIV/AIDS
prevention and education. Last year the company awarded a grant of nearly
$20,000 to HiTops, a Mercer County-based non-profit group that promotes
adolescent health, for an HIV/AIDS education program. It was also the
premier sponsor of AIDS Walk New York, which promoted awareness of
HIV/AIDS.
Reach Out and Read
Bristol-Myers Squibb also joined with New Jersey's pharmaceutical and
medical technology community through its trade association, the HealthCare
Institute of New Jersey (HINJ), in supporting Reach Out and Read programs
at various New Jersey hospitals, health clinics and pediatric offices.
Bristol-Myers Squibb has already helped launch a children's literacy
program modeled on the Reach Out and Read program at one of its children's
HIV/AIDS clinical centers in Africa, and is leading a company-wide
fundraising initiative to establish the program at all of them.
In addition to the announcement of the new clinical center, the
HealthCare Institute of New Jersey delivered 1,000 new children's books to
the Reach Out and Read program at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's
Hospital.
"As a major partner of Reach Out and Read, New Jersey's pharmaceutical
and medical technology companies have made a multi-year commitment to
support existing Reach Out and Read sites throughout New Jersey, expand the
program to unserved areas of the state and build an infrastructure so the
program can grow and serve more children in need," said HINJ president Bob
Franks. "Today we are proud to deliver 1,000 new books in support of the
Reach Out and Read program at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital
at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital."
Reach Out and Read Medical Director Perri Klass, M.D., said the program
was founded on a belief that growing up reading is an essential part of
growing up healthy and has been a prescription for improved literacy for
millions of at-risk children.
"Reach Out and Read is about the importance of books and reading in
children's lives," said Klass. "For children with HIV/AIDS, books and
reading carry an important message of hope and joy, potential and
possibility."
About The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood
Johnson University Hospital:
As New Jersey's largest and most comprehensive children's hospital, The
Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital offers specialties including cardiology and cardiac surgery, organ
transplants, trauma treatment, fetal surgery, hematology/oncology and
neurosurgery in a family-centered environment. It is consistently among the
top-rated children's hospitals in America for patient satisfaction.
About UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School:
As one of the nation's leading comprehensive medical schools,
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to the pursuit of
excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion
of community health.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb:
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global pharmaceutical and related health care
products company whose mission is to extend and enhance human life.
Visit Bristol-Myers Squibb on the World Wide Web at http://www.bms.com.
SOURCE Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.bms.com
CONTACT:
Becky Taylor of Bristol-Myers Squibb,
+1-609-252-4476, rebecca.taylor@bms.com; or Mark Broadhurst of
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, +1-732-937-8521,
mark.broadhurst@rwjuh.edu; or Nancy Berman of Reach Out and Read,
+1-617-455-0600, nancy.berman@reachoutread.org; or Hollie Gilroy
of HealthCare Institute of New Jersey, +1-908-212-0333,
gilroy@hinj.org
|
