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ZLB Behring Foundation Awards Second Round of 2004 Grants to Benefit Bleeding Disorders Community

 

King of Prussia, PA — 01/10/2005

The ZLB Behring Foundation for Research and Advancement of Patient Health (formerly the Aventis Behring Foundation) has recently selected the final of two rounds of grant recipients for 2004. In this cycle of awards, the ZLB Behring Foundation extended eight grants totaling nearly $400,000 for a variety of projects designed to benefit people affected by bleeding disorders. This is the second disbursement of $1 million in incremental funding provided to the Foundation by ZLB Behring (formerly Aventis Behring) in 2004.

Governed by an independent Advisory Council that has the sole authority to award grants, the ZLB Behring Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to charitable, scientific and educational purposes that advance the standard of care for persons affected by bleeding disorders. Since its inception in 2001, the ZLB Behring Foundation has awarded approximately three million dollars in grants to the bleeding disorders community.

The projects funded during this grant cycle range in scope, including programs designed to reach out to at-risk youths, encourage diagnosis of von Willebrand disease in medically-underserved women, and educate emergency room personnel regarding the best clinical practices for the acute care of bleeding disorders patients. The Foundation also awarded funding for a study aimed at investigating ways to improve diagnosis and laboratory testing for von Willebrand disease in women experiencing menorrhagia (heavy menstrual bleeding) by taking into consideration the variations in blood clotting ability experienced by women during their menstrual cycles.

In response to this grant cycle, applications were received from several Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTCs), non-profit organizations such as hemophilia chapters, foundations, and associations, and healthcare professionals dedicated to the treatment of people with bleeding disorders. The deadline for the current grant cycle is January 31, 2005.

"Several projects selected for funding during this past grant cycle have the potential to be adapted on a national basis, which is truly exciting," commented Val Bias, Advisory Council Chair of the ZLB Behring Foundation. "Additionally, we are pleased to provide funding for a number of community-based, local outreach initiatives, the impact of which cannot be underestimated."

"ZLB Behring is honored to continue to support the critical work of healthcare professionals and community advocates dedicated to the bleeding disorders community through the ZLB Behring Foundation. We strongly encourage all eligible organizations and individuals to submit a grant request for consideration during the first grant cycle of 2005," said Mark Pickett, Ph.D., Executive Director of the ZLB Behring Foundation and Senior Scientific Consultant, ZLB Behring.

About the Grant Recipients
Following is a list of the eight grant recipients with brief descriptions of the projects that received funding:

  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania): A plan of care aimed at facilitating the development and implementation of best clinical practices for the acute care of bleeding disorders patients in the hospital's emergency department.
  • Comprehensive Hemophilia Treatment Center, Newark Beth Israel Hospital (Newark, New Jersey): "You Can Be A Star" program designed to build self esteem among children with bleeding disorders by showcasing their special talents and providing them an opportunity to be a star among their peers.
  • Disabled Adventure Outfitters (Arcata, California): Funding for a full-time program coordinator who will provide the organization with a key infra-structural component to expand the number and type of programs offered to the bleeding disorders community.
  • Friends and Families of Hemophilia (Cincinnati, Ohio): "Communicating Towards a Cure" communications program to reach area families via an organization Web site, updated database, and chapter newsletter.
  • Gulf States Hemophilia & Thrombophilia Center (Houston, Texas): Pilot study to investigate the usefulness of thrombin generation assay and thromboelastography for diagnosis of bleeding disorders during the menstrual cycle in women with menorrhagia.
  • Hemophilia Association, Inc. (Phoenix, Arizona): Project You! (Youth, Onward and Upward!), a state-wide, intensive outreach program aimed at teens at risk. It will combine outward bound-type adventure activities, job training and employment, bleeding disorders education with peer support and prevention activities, juvenile delinquency prevention, anger management instruction, tutoring, mentoring, community involvement and volunteerism, and referral to needed services.
  • Hemophilia Foundation of Greater Florida (Winter Park, Florida): The development of a video designed to educate the public about the organization and bleeding disorders and to encourage potential donors to give. Henry Ford Hospital (Detroit, Michigan): Education and outreach initiative to encourage diagnosis and treatment of bleeding disorders in low-income, underinsured, and uninsured African American and Hispanic women living in Detroit.

About the ZLB Behring Foundation
Founded in 2001 as an independent, non-profit corporation, the ZLB Behring Foundation for Research and Advancement of Patient Health (formerly the Aventis Behring Foundation for Research and Advancement of Patient Health) is the only corporate foundation dedicated exclusively to charitable, scientific and educational purposes designed to advance the standard of care for persons affected by bleeding disorders. The ZLB Behring Foundation is governed by a seven member Advisory Council consisting of healthcare professionals and advocates who are renown for their dedication to the bleeding disorders community. The Advisory Council has the sole authority to award all grants.

About ZLB Behring
 ZLB Behring is a global leader in the plasma protein biotherapeutics industry. Its comprehensive line of therapies include products for the treatment of hemophilia and other coagulation disorders, immunoglobulins for the prevention and treatment of immune disorders, treatments that inhibit the formation of blood clots, wound-healing agents used during major surgical procedures, and plasma expanders for the treatment of a variety of conditions such as shock, burns and circulatory disorders. Additionally, ZLB Behring operates one of the world's largest, fully-owned plasma collection networks. ZLB Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited, a bio-pharmaceutical company which operates worldwide from its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia.