Medtronic and the Medtronic Foundation note with the pandemic surging across the globe and food insecurity on the rise, Medtronic today announced an additional $3.8 million commitment to provide healthcare worker support and protection, mental health support, operational support, and food assistance to organizations and communities in need.
This new commitment is in addition to charitable contributions made earlier this year and brings the total of the company’s COVID-19 relief efforts to more than $46 million.
Today’s comprehensive global response focuses on emergency food assistance and hunger relief programs, mental health support and health worker grants, organization operational support, and in-kind personal protective equipment (PPE) donations in underserved communities and those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic such as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
The PPE donation includes more than 400,000 N95 surgical masks and 430,000 KN95 respirators, all of which will be distributed by International Medical Corps. The masks will go to hospitals and health facilities chosen for their locations in COVID-19 hot spots, or directly to individuals as part of prevention efforts. In addition, these facilities serve underserved and underinsured communities, most at-risk and most affected by the pandemic.
“As the global pandemic continues to surge, our Mission compels us to help ensure our courageous frontline healthcare workers have adequate protection,” said Noel Colón, Medtronic senior vice president and chief quality officer. “We are proud to equip frontline health workers delivering critical care to those in need, as well as those most at-risk and most affected by the pandemic.”
Among the nonprofit organizations receiving added support from the Medtronic Foundation through its $1.6 million grant package are those focusing on rapid access to low income communities such as the COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa, Americares, Direct Relief, Meals on Wheels, and numerous food banks.
“As the coronavirus pandemic surges around the world and in our own backyard, healthcare, food assistance, and mental health pressures are at all-time highs; it is crucial for us to deliver support quickly to counteract the disproportionate effect the virus has on underserved, marginalized communities,” said Paurvi Bhatt, president of the Medtronic Foundation. “In this season of giving, we are also turning our gratitude into action by coming together with our partners to support these issues and the brave frontline health workers who are in need of services themselves.”
In addition to the financial contributions, the Medtronic Foundation also will continue to match Medtronic employee and retiree donations to approved nonprofit organizations worldwide including those that focus on food assistance, mental health support and healthcare worker protections.