Today, GE HealthCare (Nasdaq: GEHC) a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics, and digital solutions innovator, announced the establishment of its philanthropic entity, the GE HealthCare Foundation. The Foundation will operate as a charitable organization, incorporated separately from GE HealthCare, focused on advancing equitable access to precision healthcare.
The GE HealthCare Foundation supports nonprofit organizations aimed at making healthcare more accessible, personal, human, and flexible – and ultimately, strive to remove barriers that separate underserved communities from equitable healthcare. With an initial focus on improving maternal health outcomes globally, the Foundation addresses a critical need: Every two minutesi, a woman dies due to pregnancy or childbirth-related complications, compounded by a severe shortageii in primary care and midwifery professionals worldwide.
“The GE HealthCare Foundation was born out of GE HealthCare’s legacy of delivering access to care, and a desire to advance health equity by reducing the limits and barriers faced by those in underserved communities,” said Danielle Halstrom, President of the GE HealthCare Foundation. “When we looked at where we could focus the Foundation’s first programs, the lack of resources and care for moms and babies around the world clearly indicated where we should start. Beginning our Foundation’s work, we look forward to continuing to expand that impact across other issue areas as an extension of our company’s mission striving for equitable healthcare access.”
Through grants to nonprofit organizations with proven track records, the Foundation is dedicating its philanthropic efforts to bolster access to specialized maternal care. Simultaneously, it is investing in training a workforce to provide critical support and save lives throughout the stages of pregnancy and childbirth. The Foundation’s inaugural grantees are:
- The Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization that provides data and evidence to help advance upward mobility and equity. The Foundation is funding the creation of a public knowledge base of United States Medicaid policies and practices related to the use of AI and algorithmic methods to help reduce maternal health disparities.
- The Lwala Community Alliance, a community-led initiative tackling maternal and infant mortality in Kenya. Through this partnership, the Foundation is funding training, technology, and longstanding educational resources for nurses and clinical officers in Kenya on obstetric ultrasound – detecting need early.
- Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), a national network of Black women-led and Black-led birth and reproductive justice organizations and professionals. Support from the Foundation will help BMMA raise awareness and foster tangible improvements in Black maternal health through its Black Maternal Health Week campaign, training institute, and a pilot program to inform its Black Maternal Health Incubator Hub, a learning space for the Black maternal, perinatal, and reproductive health workforce.
- Project ECHO, which focuses on increasing capacity, resilience and collaboration among the public health workforce in Indonesia. The Foundation is funding the capacity building of Primary Health Centers in the region to successfully navigate the continuum of maternal child health care – touching on topics like maternal nutrition and child stunting, pre- and neonatal maternal care and safe delivery, and family planning.
The Foundation is committed to supporting leading nonprofits to improve the health and safety of mothers and babies in underserved and vulnerable communities. The Foundation will expand this approach into additional focus areas in the coming years.
In addition to these programs, the Foundation will support humanitarian relief during times of natural disasters and crises, as well as a colleague matching gifts program for U.S. employees.
To learn more about the Foundation, please visit https://www.gehealthcare.com/foundation.
About GE HealthCare
GE HealthCare is a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics, and digital solutions innovator, dedicated to providing integrated solutions, services, and data analytics to make hospitals more efficient, clinicians more effective, therapies more precise, and patients healthier and happier. Serving patients and providers for more than 100 years, GE HealthCare is advancing personalized, connected, and compassionate care, while simplifying the patient’s journey across the care pathway. Together our Imaging, Ultrasound, Patient Care Solutions, and Pharmaceutical Diagnostics businesses help improve patient care from diagnosis, to therapy, to monitoring. We are a $19.6 billion business with 51,000 colleagues working to create a world where healthcare has no limits. Follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Insights for the latest news, or visit our website https://www.gehealthcare.com/ for more information.
[i] A woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth: UN agencies. World Health Organization. 23 February 2023.
https://www.who.int/news/item/23-02-2023-a-woman-dies-every-two-minutes-due-to-pregnancy-or-childbirth–un-agencies
[ii] Nursing and midwifery. Key Facts. World Health Organization. 18 March 2022.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/nursing-and-midwifery
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