WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Siemens Foundation and Siemens Healthineers announced they are teaming up with Testing for America (TFA) to donate $500,000 in funding and an in-kind donation of COVID-19 testing technologies with a fair market value of $2,275,000 to support the safe reopening of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the country.
TFA is a nonprofit with a mission to permanently and safely reopen schools, businesses and the U.S. economy by supporting the availability of affordable, accessible and frequent testing and screening. Most recently, TFA partnered with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and UNCF to help bring scalable COVID testing to HBCU campuses. TFA works with schools to develop and implement testing and safety protocols for all students, faculty and staff and to identify testing vendors and philanthropic support.
“Siemens Healthineers is proud to support Testing for America and the HBCUs as they undertake reopening,” said Dave Pacitti, Siemens Foundation Board of Directors member; President of Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.; and Head of the Americas for Siemens Healthineers. “This activity underscores the company’s commitment to ensuring underserved communities have access to healthcare.”
Siemens Healthineers will contribute technologies including serology tests, which look for antibodies that develop once a virus becomes present in a person’s system. Testing for America will work closely with Siemens and advise HBCUs on protocols and incorporation of these technologies on their campuses.
TFA’s initiative aligns with the mission of both the Siemens Foundation and Siemens Healthineers to support healthcare equity and racial justice in underserved and underrepresented communities across the country. The Siemens Foundation, Siemens Healthineers and Siemens employees have now donated $5,405,000 to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, including $2,130,000 to 20 community health centers and $500,000 to the National Governors Association’s Reskilling and Recovery Network.
“As we confront a health, economic and societal crisis, we understand there are no easy answers, but we believe collaboration amongst industry, academia, and the nonprofit sector is one of the most effective ways to contribute during this pandemic,” said David Etzwiler, CEO of Siemens Foundation. “This partnership through the effective use of testing will enable HBCUs to address the health needs of students, faculty and administrators, create a safe campus environment, and strengthen the economy of the surrounding areas.”
With funding from Siemens Caring Hands e. V., which includes donations from Siemens global employee base, the Siemens Foundation is continuing its focus on addressing the needs of Black people in the United States who are dramatically and disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The initiative is part of the global Siemens relief fund program that was set up under the auspices of the community-serving nonprofit organization Siemens Caring Hands e.V. to help combat the COVID-19 crisis.
“We are grateful to the Siemens Foundation and Siemens Healthineers for this generous contribution, which will help to preserve the safety and health of students, teachers and faculty and ultimately their communities,” said Dr. Joan Coker, an HBCU graduate and member of TFA’s Advisory Council. “Testing for America recognizes how essential corporate and private donors are to providing abundant testing and safety protocols to HBCUs, and we are pleased to help bring them together in this effort.”
About Testing for America (TFA):
Testing for America (TFA) is a non-profit organization whose goal is to make low-cost, highly reliable testing abundant and empower Americans with the information they need to make public health decisions and ultimately reopen schools, businesses and the US economy. Testing for America is a nonprofit limited liability company structured within the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology (501c3). For more information: www.testingforamerica.org.
About the Siemens Foundation:
The Siemens Foundation has invested more than $122 million in the United States to advance workforce development and education initiatives in science, technology, engineering and math. The Foundation’s mission is inspired by the culture of innovation, research and continuous learning that is the hallmark of Siemens’ companies. Together, the programs at the Siemens Foundation are narrowing the opportunity gap for young people in the U.S. in STEM careers and igniting and sustaining today’s STEM workforce and tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. For more information on the Siemens Foundation, follow @SFoundation on Twitter or visit siemens-foundation.org.
About Siemens Caring Hands e.V.
Siemens Caring Hands e.V. is a charitable association that was founded at the initiative of Siemens AG in 2001. At the time, Siemens AG Management and employees wanted to provide direct, uncomplicated assistance to victims of the September 11 attacks. Caring Hands also reacted in 2004 to the large-scale tsunami in Asia and in 2013 to the historic flood in Germany. The charity has also provided assistance in response to several other natural disasters. The association is especially active in providing support in major emergencies and pursues charitable and non-profit purposes. These include the promotion of assistance for disaster victims, support for fire / disaster / civil protection and the promotion of the public health system. A total of 15.2 million euros (including corporate donations) is available for aid projects. These donations provide help all over the world.
About Siemens Healthineers:
Siemens Healthineers AG (listed in Frankfurt, Germany: SHL) is shaping the future of Healthcare. As a leading medical technology company headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, Siemens Healthineers enables healthcare providers worldwide through its regional companies to increase value by empowering them on their journey towards expanding precision medicine, transforming care delivery, improving the patient experience, and digitalizing healthcare. Siemens Healthineers is continuously developing its product and service portfolio, with AI-supported applications and digital offerings that play an increasingly important role in the next generation of medical technology. These new applications will enhance the company’s foundation in in-vitro diagnostic, image-guided therapy, and in-vivo diagnostics. Siemens Healthineers also provides a range of services and solutions to enhance healthcare providers’ ability to provide high-quality, efficient care to patients. In fiscal 2019, which ended on September 30, 2019, Siemens Healthineers, which has approximately 52,000 employees worldwide, generated revenue of €14.5 billion and adjusted profit of €2.5 billion.
Further information is available at www.siemens-healthineers.com.
About Siemens USA:
Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems, and automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Through the separately managed companies Siemens Energy, the global energy business of Siemens, and Siemens Mobility, a leading supplier of smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is shaping the energy systems of today and tomorrow as well as the world market for passenger and freight services. Due to its majority stakes in the publicly listed companies Siemens Healthineers AG and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (as part of Siemens Energy), Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital healthcare services as well as environmentally friendly solutions for onshore and offshore wind power generation. For more than 160 years, the company has innovated and invented technologies to support American industry spanning manufacturing, energy, healthcare and infrastructure. In fiscal 2019, Siemens USA reported revenue of $26.5 billion and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.