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Aventis Behring Foundation Awards Second Round of 2003 Grants to Benefit Bleeding Disorders Community

 

King of Prussia, PA — 12/18/2003

The Aventis Behring Foundation for Research and Advancement of Patient Health has recently selected the second round of grant recipients for 2003. In this cycle of awards, the Aventis Behring Foundation extended 11 grants to fund projects designed to benefit the bleeding disorders community. The grant recipients will use this funding to support projects ranging from family retreats and community awareness campaigns to various research initiatives. Overall, in 2003 the Aventis Behring Foundation awarded grants totaling $1 million.

New Grant for Community Organizations Planned for 2004
In addition to its ongoing support of Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTCs), healthcare professionals, and non-profit organizations such as hemophilia chapters, foundations, and associations, the Aventis Behring Foundation announced that beginning in 2004, it will devote five unrestricted grants (of $10,000 each) per year toward smaller community-based organizations that have limited resources, yet provide much needed services to local families.

The Aventis Behring Foundation is currently accepting submissions for these new grants. The deadline is January 31, 2004, which coincides with the first grant cycle of the year. Those applicants who are selected will be announced in March along with the first round of 2004 grant recipients. Read more about the Foundation's new grants for smaller community-based organizations.

"I am extremely pleased with the Foundation's decision to enhance its support of smaller community-based organizations," said Val Bias, Advisory Council Chair of the Foundation. "These organizations are often the lifeline of their local community. It's essential that we support them financially so that they can continue their valuable work."

Since its inception in 2002, the Aventis Behring Foundation has awarded approximately $2 million in funding to the bleeding disorders community. "Over the last two years, the Aventis Behring Foundation has funded a variety of projects that have resulted in tremendous benefits for the community," said Michael Sumner, MD, Executive Director of the Aventis Behring Foundation and Senior Medical Director of Aventis Behring's North American division. "Aventis Behring is honored to continue to support this important work now and throughout 2004."

About the Grant Recipients

  • Children's Hospital of Michigan, Hemophilia Treatment Center (Detroit, MI): Outreach designed to identify and communicate with potential and obligate carriers of hemophilia. The program consists of eight informational meetings with a genetic counselor and social worker or nurse.
  • Comprehensive Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Treatment Center, Children's Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL): An exploratory study of the experiences and needs of the "well siblings" of children with bleeding disorders. Designed to increase responsiveness of parents and healthcare providers to these siblings.
  • Hemophilia Foundation of Minnesota/Dakotas (Mendota Heights, MN): Activities designed to educate parents and increase community building in areas outside of the Twin Cities.
  • Lone Star Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation (Houston, TX): One-day educational seminar to emphasize the importance of treating bleeding episodes early and adequately and exercising to protect joints.
  • Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI): Research to better understand how genes affect the clinical symptoms experienced by people with Type 1 Von Willebrand Disease.
  • Orthopaedic Hospital, Hemophilia Treatment Center (Los Angeles, CA): Extended training for a hematologist to take over the treatment center. Training will include, among other things, developing educational curriculum for fellows, performing diagnostic coagulation tests and recognizing musculoskeletal problems in people with bleeding disorders.
  • Rocky Mountain Hemophilia and Bleeding Disorders Association (Bozeman, MT): Educational forums and networking opportunities for families in Montana and Wyoming. In addition to the educational forums, families in these states who are geographically dispersed will receive a confidential directory containing contact information for other families and a package of materials to help them better understand their bleeding disorder.
  • University of Alabama at Birmingham, Hemophilia Treatment Center (Birmingham, AL): One-day educational conference for families, healthcare providers, representatives of the National Hemophilia Foundation, and state leaders on the latest medical and social aspects of living with a bleeding disorder.
  • Utah Hemophilia Foundation (Salt Lake City, UT): Training sessions and community outreach to raise awareness of VWD amongst healthcare professionals and residents of Utah. Part of the community outreach will include activities in rural parts of the state.
  • Vanderbilt Hemostasis Thrombosis Clinic (Nashville, TN): A medical research study to determine the effectiveness of shoe orthotics as a treatment method to mitigate joint deterioration in people with hemophilia.
  • Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation (Pittsburgh, PA): Educational weekend retreat for families to promote exercise and community involvement. Follow up to the retreat will include updates to the Chapter Web site and a reintroduction of the Chapter newsletter.