Baxter Canada Releases its Third Year Impact Report for Corporate Giving Program 'Welcome Home' with Canadian Red Cross

Partnership with Canadian Red Cross provides essential support for Canadians during COVID-19 pandemic

MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 14, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, Baxter Canada released its three-year impact report for its national giving program 'Welcome Home' in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross. Since the establishment of the partnership in 2018, Baxter Canada has contributed more than $450,000 to provide greater access to essential resources for patients returning home from hospital and communities in need. With the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Baxter Canada extended its efforts with the Canadian Red Cross to find new and innovative ways to support Canadians who need it most and adapt existing programs to keep them running safely amid the pandemic.

"Baxter Canada is extremely proud of the support we've been able to provide for Canadians during this unprecedented time, with critical programs that deliver essential services and equipment to take care of our most vulnerable communities," says James Teaff, President and General Manager, Baxter Canada. "As we continue to assess the needs of Canadians across the country as a result of the pandemic, our partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, along with the unwavering commitment from our employees, offers us the unique opportunity to enhance our programs and make a meaningful difference in the lives of others."

With initiatives like the "No Place Like Home" program, Baxter employees volunteered their time to make a positive impact, sending more than 400 personalized cards to isolated seniors in 2020 and volunteering with the Canadian Red Cross to execute programs such as the Mobile Food Bank. These efforts helped spread hope and joy to many Canadians during a challenging time.

The report highlights Baxter's contributions through its signature Welcome Home program:

The Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP) supports Canadians in British Columbia and the Yukon with essential short and long-term health equipment loans, a service that has only grown more critical during the pandemic where traditional access to health and care have been disrupted.

Baxter's support facilitated:

• Serving 28,424 clients in B.C. and loaning 57,179 pieces of health equipment
  
  
• Recruiting 479 volunteers, a 90 person increase from 2019
  
  
• The employment of a full-time employee dedicated to recruitment for HELP volunteers in the Lower Mainland region in B.C.

The Priority Assistance to Transition Home (PATH) program allows seniors to feel supported and cared for as they transition from hospital to recover at home. This was adapted to a physically distanced model this year including innovative adjustments to the regular program, such as virtual grocery shopping, physically distanced transportation, home visits with the use of PPE, friendly phone calls and wellness checks to keep spirits lifted.

Through this program, Baxter's support in Ontario provided:

• 1,810 PATH clients with 532 safe transitions from hospital to home
  
  
• Providing 6,011 service hours after their initial transition home
  
  
• 619 referrals for clients to community resources

The Mobile Food Bank is a service that distributes food hampers to individuals in the Greater Toronto Area who are unable to access a traditional food bank. In response to the pandemic, the Canadian Red Cross adapted this service to create the Toronto Food Delivery program, supported by the City of Toronto/Daily Bread Food Bank to assist those who were especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus and unable to leave their home due to underlying health conditions.

• Delivering 52,371 food boxes to an additional 4,161 people through the Toronto Food Delivery program

Baxter's support in Ontario facilitated:

• Serving 573 clients a month through the Mobile Food Bank
  
  
• 31 Baxter employees volunteering for a total of 93 volunteer hours

The Canadian Red Cross Partners in Humanity Award 2020

As a leader of innovation in health care, Baxter Canada was awarded the Canadian Red Cross Partners in Humanity Award for 2020, supporting the Canadian Red Cross during COVID-19 as it adapted and built new solutions to the unique health problems that Canadians faced. The Partners in Humanity Award recognizes corporate partners that make an impact at the national or international level, engage volunteers, enhance the reach of the Canadian Red Cross, and promote the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.

Baxter Canada and the Canadian Red Cross are continuing into the fourth year of its partnership, with a commitment to develop and expand programs in need. Looking forward, Baxter's support will focus on expanding the PATH program to key markets, continuing to build on community outreach efforts in the Lower Mainland of B.C. to recruit and train new HELP volunteers. In addition to the support on the HELP and PATH programs, Baxter Canada and the Canadian Red Cross will work together on a new initiative, the Indigenous Program Creating Safe Environments Program, to understand community needs and create a safer place, rooted in Indigenous culture and practice in Northern Ontario.

For more information on how to support the Canadian Red Cross, visit www.redcross.ca. To see how Baxter's Welcome Home program is helping those in underserved communities, look at the Year Three Impact Report, and #BaxterGivesBack on social media.

About Baxter Canada 

Every day, millions of patients and caregivers rely on Baxter's leading portfolio of critical care, nutrition, renal, hospital and surgical products. In Canada, we've been operating at the critical intersection where innovations that save and sustain lives meet the healthcare providers that make it happen for 83 years. With products, technologies and therapies available in more than 100 countries, Baxter's employees worldwide are now building upon the company's rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the next generation of transformative healthcare innovations. Baxter Canada and its over 1,200 employees are located primarily in Ontario at the Head Office, CIVA Admixing and Technical Services Centres in Mississauga, and in Alliston – where Baxter operates Canada's only large-scale manufacturing plant producing life-sustaining intravenous and dialysis solutions. To learn more, visit www.baxter.ca and follow Baxter on LinkedIn.

Baxter is a registered trademark of Baxter International Inc.

SOURCE Baxter Corporation