NORWICH – For decades, Norwich Pharmaceuticals has provided community and charitable support for organizations countywide, including Relay For Life, United Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters and many more. This year – partnered with Kiwanis International and UNICEF – the local manufacturer will expand its contribution effort outside the county’s borders. In fact, the company is now looking to help out on the global level, taking on Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) as part of Kiwanis’ and UNICEF’s Eliminate Project.
The goal, according to Ric Festarini, director of human resources at Norwich Pharmaceuticals, is to save and protect the lives of more than 60 million mothers and newborn children across the globe by providing a total of three vaccinations to combat MNT.
The cost? Less than $2 per woman of child bearing age.
“Once vaccinated, the immunity to the disease is passed on to children as they are born, saving thousands of lives and much personal suffering,” added Festarini.
As part of Norwich Pharmaceuticals’ global effort, the company is organizing a series of fundraising events – both internally and community-wide – to be held between the months of April and September. All money raised during that time will be donated to the Eliminate Project and its international, 2015 goal of $110 million. In addition, Norwich Pharmaceuticals will be sending one of its own, Department Manager Bridgetta Jones, to visit the Philippines, a country where UNICEF’s immunization work is already underway. Jones will join a delegation of Kiwanis International and UNICEF representatives travelling to the sovereign nation on Friday, where she will spend approximately one week on the front line in the fight against the disease.
“I think what struck me the most in reading the literature on MNT are the very things we as Americans take for granted – immunizations and a safe environment for childbirth,” said the Sherburne resident. “As a mother, I cannot even imagine the despair of watching your newborn suffer a painful death due to unhygienic postnatal childcare.”
Jones added she’s excited for the opportunity to travel to the Philippines and witness first-hand the immunization effort, one the coalition of organizations that make up the Eliminate Project hope will put an end to MNT.
Said Jones, “It is an honor to be chosen as a spokesperson for such a worthy cause.”
According to Eliminate Project literature, MNT is responsible for approximately 60,000 deaths every year, targetting the poorest and most under-served women and children on the planet. The leading causes of those deaths include a lack of – or limited access to – immunization and prenatal care services; limited or absent clean delivery services; and improper postpartum cord care. The fatality rate, according to Eliminate statistics, can be as high as 100 percent in under-served areas and MNT kills one baby every nine minutes. The disease has already been eliminated in 20 countries across the globe, yet remains a threat in approximately 40 others.
Jones, said Festarini, will be sending back photos and her thoughts on the experience and Norwich Pharmaceutical will be tracking her movements throughout the trip. Once she returns, the manufacturer will hold an April 28 brunch at the Park Place Restaurant and Lounge, 7 East Park Place, featuring Jones as guest speaker. She’ll share her experiences first-hand and discuss the need to address the global problem, he added.
“This is a cause we can get behind,” said Festarini. “Like polio, MNT is preventable if you have the vaccine and can deliver it.”
Added Jones, “It’s a worthwhile cause ... it’s incredible the things we take for granted here in the U.S. This is really a story about mothers and their children.”
For more information on the Eliminate Project visit TheEliminateProject.org. To make a donation, make checks out to “The Eliminate Project” and send to Luke Murphy, Norwich Pharmaceuticals, 6826 State Highway 12, Norwich, NY, 13815.