NORWICH – One month after returning from an eye-opening trip to the Philippines, Norwich Pharmaceutical Department Manager Bridgetta Jones will speak of the experience at a special brunch and fundraiser, to be held at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Park Place Lounge and Restaurant.
In April, Jones travelled to the sovereign nation, representing the local pharmaceutical manufacturer as part of a delegation of Kiwanis International and UNICEF representatives sent there to aid in UNICEF’s Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) immunization effort, known globally as the Eliminate Project.
According to statistics gathered by the project’s leaders, MNT is responsible for approximately 60,000 deaths every year, including mothers and children; results in the death of one newborn every nine minutes and targets the most impoverished women and children on Earth. The leading causes are: 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 – in areas such as the Philippines – can reach as high as 100 percent.
“For me, it was a very enlightening experience ... it was very different than I thought it would be,” said Jones. “Some of these people travel great distances to get immunized. The education process is already in place, it’s simply a matter of providing the immunizations.”
The cost of the immunization is less than $2 per woman of child-bearing age, she added.
While there, said Jones, the delegation met with patients and health care workers, travelling some dangerous roads, witnessing the immunization effort up close and enjoying local specialities. What struck her the most, however, was the gratitude the Philippine people had for the global support.
The goal of the Eliminate Project is to raise $110 million by 2015 for the three-dose vaccination, one that will protect upwards of 60 million people from MNT across the globe.
Said Norwich Pharmaceuticals Director of Human Resources Ric Festarini of the fundraising effort, “We’re hoping not only to provide a significant contribution, but to use [Norwich Pharmaceutical] as an example to other companies to show the work UNICEF and Kiwanis are doing internationally.”
Traditionally, he added, Kiwanis has looked to individuals for its fundraising efforts and this is the organization’s first attempt to engage corporate involvement, of which Norwich Pharmaceuticals is one of the first to get involved.
The focus, however, is to first and foremost eliminate MNT, said Festarini. Over the past ten years, MNT has been successfully eradicated from approximately 20 countries, although there are still 35 other nations where it is still a serious threat.
Cost of admission for the brunch and presentation is $20. To make a donation for the immunization effort, make checks payable to “The Eliminate Project,” c/o Luke Murphy, Norwich Pharmaceuticals, 6826 State Highway 12, Norwich, NY, 13815. For more information on the Eliminate Project, visit The EliminateProject.org.