Siemens Foundation Provides $1.5M Across 12 Community Health Centers to Support COVID-19 Response Efforts

Siemens Foundation Provides $1.5M Across 12 Community Health Centers to Support COVID-19 Response Efforts

In a news release, the Siemens Foundation recently announced it is providing $1.5 million to community health centers across 12 U.S. cities to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

Community health centers are the nation’s largest primary care provider for the medically underserved and uninsured, reaching 29 million of those most in-need. As a result of COVID-19, these health centers face a shortage of funding to stay operational and maintain a sufficient workforce, further crippling their ability to provide affordable healthcare at a critical time. Aligning with its dedication to social equity, the non-profit organization established by Siemens USA, including funding provided by Siemens Healthineers, is committed to supporting these critical healthcare providers so they can continue serving their communities when they are needed most.

“As the COVID-19 crisis disproportionately threatens lower-income and medically underserved communities, it’s important for us to support the institutions that sustain our social compact,” said David Etzwiler, CEO of the Siemens Foundation. “Community health centers and their staff are on the front lines providing primary care every day and they now play an especially critical role in our medical services infrastructure when emergency services and hospital settings are overwhelmed. Vital services like these are paramount to advancing equity in America.”

The following health centers were selected using equity criteria developed by the Siemens Foundation in consultation with the National Association of Community Health Centers, the Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers, and Siemens:

Chase Brexton Health Services in Baltimore

Chicago Family Health Center in Chicago

Western Wayne Family Health Centers in Metro Detroit

Daughters of Charity Services/Marillac Community Health Center in New Orleans

Delaware Valley Community Health, Inc., in Philadelphia

Stride Community Health Center in Denver

Newark Community Health Centers, Inc., in Newark

WATTS Healthcare Corporation in Los Angeles

Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Health Care in Washington, D.C.

Morris Heights Health Center, Inc., in New York

Community Health Centers in Orlando

International Community Health Services in Seattle

The $1.5 million commitment is funded, in part, by The Siemens Healthineers Fund of the Siemens Foundation, supported by Siemens Healthineers business in the United States. The centers will be free to use the funding however they deem it is most needed.

The Foundation’s efforts complement Siemens’ and Siemens Healthineers’ collective efforts to combat COVID-19 by supporting critical infrastructure and by helping state and local governments address urgent healthcare needs. The company’s employees are maintaining essential operations to support hospitals, power plants, government facilities, military sites, manufacturing locations and data centers. They’re also supporting critical city services such as transportation, water and waste, and national security emergency response systems.

Siemens is also a part of collaborative on-the-ground effort to support the expansion of existing and new hospital spaces, ensuring these facilities have reliable power, fire and life safety systems, and the tools they need to treat patients. Siemens Healthineers is committed to providing a range of solutions necessary for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with COVID-19 – from a test kit used to aid in the diagnosis of COVID-19 disease to portable X-ray, ultrasound, and blood gas systems used in monitoring for patients, as well as unique cloud-based platforms and remote monitoring systems to assist front-line healthcare providers.

For more information on how Siemens is taking action to support American healthcare, visit its COVID-19 response page.

For more information on the Siemens Foundation, follow @SFoundation on Twitter or visit siemens-foundation.org.

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