Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PRNewswire - December 3, 2003
"Our best collective efforts to date simply have not been enough to solve the AIDS crisis that has taken so many lives in Africa. Working together is the only effective way to fight this disease," said Dolan, who this week accompanied Secretary Thompson on a mission to observe the impact of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. "Through our SECURE THE FUTURE program, Bristol-Myers Squibb has funded more than 150 programs in nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including the continent's first pediatric AIDS clinic in Botswana. African children continue to succumb to the disease at alarming rates, so we are now committing to fund a second pediatric clinic."
The new clinic, whose location has yet to be determined, will be created in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the government of the country in which it is sited. In addition to providing care for children, the clinic will train health care professionals in treating pediatric AIDS, and it will conduct clinical research to help this vulnerable population. The clinic will be modeled after the first such partnership, the Botswana-Baylor College of Medicine Children's Clinical Center of Excellence at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana, funded through a $6 million SECURE THE FUTURE grant. The clinic opened earlier this year.
SECURE THE FUTURE is a five-year program Bristol-Myers Squibb began in 1999 to support projects that help women and children affected and infected by HIV/AIDS in southern and West Africa. The program focuses on community-based education, support and prevention projects and medical research and support, primarily in resource-limited community settings. Its ultimate goals are to build capacity, infrastructure and sustainability of the programs funded.
Mark Kline, M.D., director of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative and chief of retrovirology at Texas Children's Hospital, said of the new Bristol-Myers Squibb commitment, "We are very pleased to enter into another collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb to address the principal health care needs of the region. The Botswana center opened on June 20 and already has treated more than 1,000 children and 200 families. It is clear that the patients and their families are 'speaking with their feet' in using this vital new service. Already we are testing more than 30 children per day for HIV. This next center will, I believe, change the course of HIV treatment in Africa as we know it today. By further linking health professionals in Africa and the United States, we will help to demystify this disease while transforming the delivery of AIDS care in this region of the world."
John L. McGoldrick, Bristol-Myers Squibb executive vice president with responsibility for SECURE THE FUTURE, said, "This new center will combine high quality patient care with much needed training of health care professionals in pediatric AIDS. Building on the success of our center in Botswana, it will provide the proper infrastructure for medical support and monitoring."
Dolan congratulated Secretary Thompson for his leadership in bringing together the largest-ever delegation of public and private U.S. leaders to assess HIV/AIDS efforts and needs in Africa. "We at Bristol-Myers Squibb applaud Secretary Thompson and the Bush Administration on their response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. Only through collaboration at all levels -- industry, government and local community -- can we hope to overcome this crisis. Secretary Thompson's mission has taken us a vital step forward, serving as the catalyst for an important new round of initiatives in fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic."
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 and learn more about SECURE THE FUTURE at http://www.securethefuture.com
SOURCE Bristol-Myers Squibb; Baylor College of Medicine
031203
PR031211
Copyright © 2003 - PRNewswire. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through PRNewswire, Permissions, 810 Seventh Ave., 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10019 http://www.prnewswire.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .