AbbVie donates $35M for COVID-19 relief across Europe, U.S., Puerto Rico
Research-based global biopharmaceutical company AbbVie announced a $35 million donation to support COVID-19 relief efforts across Europe, the continental United States and Puerto Rico.
In the U.S., AbbVie’s funds will be used to support healthcare capacity for hospitals as well as protect vulnerable populations by enabling access to food and essential supplies.
In Europe, the donation will provide critical equipment and supplies to patients and front-line healthcare workers in the hardest-hit countries.
“AbbVie is making this donation to nonprofit partners that will have an immediate and significant positive impact in communities that have been hit hardest by this unprecedented crisis,” said AbbVie CEO Richard A. González.
“Our 30,000 AbbVie team members around the world are proud to be able to help make a difference in the fight against this virus,” he said.
The biopharmaceutical will donate to International Medical Corps, Feeding America, Feeding America, and the AbbVie Community Resilience Fund for future needs, among others.
AbbVie’s donation to International Medical Corps will support increased healthcare capacity at overwhelmed hospital emergency departments in the U.S., where International Medical Corps is deploying a total of 20 mobile field hospitals to help increase surge capacity at overburdened hospitals.
These mobile field units enable hospitals to expand the available triage and treatment space at existing facilities, improve patient flow and keep COVID-19 patients separated from other patients.
AbbVie is the sole donor funding the procurement of the tents, equipment, supplies as well as all of the operating expenses for these field hospitals through the end of 2020.
AbbVie launched International Medical Corps’ response in cities across the U.S., including in Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Cleveland, OH; Detroit, MI; Los Angeles, CA; New Orleans, LA; New York City, NY; and, Puerto Rico.
Each field hospital includes the equipment, personnel and resources to effectively provide urgent or outpatient care to hundreds of patients per day, including patient beds, medical examination supplies, portable sinks, power, lighting and HVAC units. The field hospital can be stood up in approximately six hours and withstand 80-mph sustained winds.
International Medical Corps will pull from its roster of nearly 300 medical professionals to fill critical gaps in nursing and infection prevention and control. Each hospital will determine specifically how it intends to use the additional space and resources.
“AbbVie’s extraordinary and swift support means that health workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. will have more resources to save lives in the fight against this dangerous disease,” said Nancy Aossey, president and CEO of International Medical Corps. “I’d like to thank AbbVie for always standing with us — and for helping to make sure that we are first there, no matter where, in fighting outbreaks of infectious disease in the U.S. and globally.”
