Bayer Announces Further Investment in Direct Relief Community Health Awards Program

Investment in grant program focused on family planning services, training, education, and grants at health clinics across the country

World Contraception Day is celebrated around the globe as a day to bring focus to the importance of family planning and access to birth control. To commemorate this year’s celebration, Bayer is pleased to announce a new round of grant funding representing additional investment in the Community Health Awards program, a collaboration with humanitarian group Direct Relief.

The Direct Relief program provides funding to help address health disparities and pressing community needs for patients seeking family planning services by supporting safety net health clinics across the US, with the aim to expand care models. In addition to the grant funding, Bayer has an ongoing partnership with Direct Relief, donating products for their network of Safety Net providers. To-date Bayer has provided thousands of intrauterine devices (IUDs) that have reached approximately 460 clinics across the country in areas of unmet needs.

Each Community Health Awards grant cycle focuses on support to safety-net clinics working in geographies in the US where there is the greatest need based on several criteria; including percentages of unintended pregnancy by state, percent of contraceptive need met by public funding, poverty rates for each state, and pending legislation banning or restricting abortion services, where an increased demand and need for contraceptive care and services is expected. The latest round of Community Health Awards will be made to clinics working in Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas.

The announcement represents Bayer’s third round of investment in the program and will extend its current reach to impact more women. Since 2020 the collaboration between Bayer and Direct Relief has reached more than 33,324 women through services, training, education, grants, and community outreach by deploying grassroots programs like increasing mobile health unit footprints and utilizing digital media to provide education.

“Focusing on giving women the tools and resources to make informed and powerful decisions is at the core of our We’re for Her mission. Now more than ever these are critical focus areas,” said Yesmean Wahdan, MD, US Medical Affairs, Women’s Healthcare. “We know that women are seeking information about contraception in response to current events and our investment in the Community Health Awards program will bring additional support to states where patient need in the areas of access and education is greater than ever.”

The community awards program is a demonstration of Bayer’s We’re for Her mission, which reflects Bayer’s commitment to the reproductive health of all women — from products and education to championing access to contraceptives. By striving to ensure access to healthcare for women and products and services, and by investing in programs dedicated to women’s health education, awareness, and medical training, we support women’s ability to decide their own journey.

“The unique approach of the We’re for Her mission creates deeper community investment in women’s health, providing critically needed IUDs, free of charge, with funding to address many of the challenges to providing sexual and reproductive health care, stated Paulina Ospina, Direct Relief's Associate Director of Maternal and Child Health. ‘This holistic approach has been a wonderful way that Direct Relief, in collaboration with Bayer, can support safety-net providers addressing the urgent need for contraceptives in their communities.”

About Community Health Awards Program

The collaboration between Bayer and Direct Relief is a partnership that addresses access at its core through the donation of Bayer intrauterine devices (IUDs), grants administered by Direct Relief to health clinics around the country, and educational materials to healthcare facilities. The program is also aligned with Bayer’s goal to provide 100 million women across the world with access to contraception by 2030.

We’re for health. We’re for access. We’re for her.

At Bayer Women’s Healthcare, we believe that every woman should have access to what she needs to live her best life, with the power to choose what’s best for her own body and journey in life. For over 60 years, we’ve been a leader in advancing women’s health across the globe, so all women can determine their own future.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability, and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2020, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 41.4 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 4.9 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

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