Philips Joins Forces with National Minority Quality Forum to Address Healthcare Disparities
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. , April 22 /Businesswire/ - Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced it is working with the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), as part of a joint mission to ensure that high-risk racial and ethnic populations and communities receive increased access to quality healthcare. NMQF uses evidence-based, data-driven initiatives to guide programs and deliver educational and advocacy programs, a national health index, research and community-based programs. In collaboration with Philips, NMQF will work to raise awareness and support of key issues such as maternal mortality among Black women, leveraging Philips resources and technology to help close the healthcare disparities gaps.
While the U.S. leads the globe in many areas of healthcare innovation, it also lags behind much of the industrialized world in improving care for some of its most vulnerable populations, issues that were made more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Black, Latinx and indigenous communities in the U.S. suffer tremendous healthcare disparities – a greater burden of illness, disability and mortality, relative to other groups. A clear example of this disparity in the U.S. is the high maternal mortality rate for Black women. They are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than other women.1
“If we are going to build sustainable healthy communities, we need to do more than just shine a spotlight on the problem, we need to come together and address the fundamental challenges in access to care that these communities face,” said Gary A. Puckrein, Ph.D., president and CEO of NMQF. “It will require that we create an ecosystem that includes government, community and industry leaders like Philips to really move the needle and make a meaningful impact.”
With a mission to improve 2.5 billion lives per year by 2030, including 400 million in underserved communities, Philips is teaming up with customers, government agencies and leading non-profits such as NMQF to address health disparities surrounding premature death and preventable illness. NMQF provides a cohort of healthcare providers, professionals, administrators, researchers, policymakers, community and faith-based organizations with research and analysis intended to lead to the organization and management of critical resources. In addition to the Leadership Summit, Philips will support initiatives such as community health clinics in 4 major U.S. cities, policy briefings with congressional staffers on health disparities and a working group focused on addressing maternal mortality.
At the 19th Annual NMQF Leadership Summit on Health Disparities and Spring Health Braintrust, which runs from Monday, April 26 – Wednesday, April 28, 2021, Philips will host a panel that explores avenues to address maternal mortality. This year’s Summit whose theme is “Racism Makes Me Sick!”, will bring together thought leaders from across the healthcare community to discuss urgent and pressing issues, including how policies have contributed to sickness, disease and inequitable healthcare. Participants will not only discuss these issues, but how they can collectively take action to make a meaningful difference. Register here to attend the summit at no cost.
“Our purpose as a company is to improve lives around the world, and there is an urgent need to address the healthcare disparities we have seen laid bare during the pandemic,” said Vitor Rocha, Chief Market Leader for Philips North America. “We are working to bring the innovation, passion and commitment of Philips to the challenge. Together with our partners and customers, we can create change that will take steps toward greater health equity for underserved communities in the U.S. and Canada, and around the world.”
To learn more about NMQF or to join Philips in supporting the organization, please contact Brandon Garrett at bgarrett@nmqf.org.
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2020 sales of EUR 19.5 billion and employs approximately 82,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
1 https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p0905-racial-ethnic-disparities-pregnancy-deaths.html
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