Public Health Awareness Campaign to Promote Access to Health Among Underserved Communities, and Help Reduce the Spread of COVID-19 in Hot Spots

MELVILLE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 20, 2020– The Henry Schein Cares Foundation (HSCF), in partnership with The UPS Foundation, recently launched ‘Wearing is Caring,’ a public health awareness campaign designed to raise awareness of health care disparities in underserved communities, the need for social distancing, and the importance of wearing face coverings to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. The campaign is aligned with guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) that encourages the use of cotton or cloth face coverings in public spaces to reduce community spread.

To help promote access to health care, HSCF and The UPS Foundation will provide financial support to long-time partners – the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA), the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC), the CDC Foundation, National Urban League, and others. Funds will provide support to critically important health care programs in communities most in need. In addition, Henry Schein, Inc. also will donate and distribute cloth face coverings to NNOHA and NAFC. The organizations will select community health clinics within COVID-19 hot spots as the recipients, helping to improve public health safety.

To help address the health disparities that have impacted communities of color, Henry Schein, Inc. will also donate face coverings to local safety-net health systems and other local partners in support of CDC Foundation’s Crush COVID initiative, of which support of health equity and investing in communities disproportionately impacted by coronavirus is a key pillar.

“The ‘Wearing is Caring’ campaign is another demonstration of Henry Schein Cares Foundation’s commitment to help advocate for public health, health equity, and wellness,” said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Henry Schein, Inc. “Together with non-profit organizations and valued supplier partners, the Foundation can further its efforts to help support local safety net health systems, which provide essential care for those most in need.”

The face coverings will come in a variety of styles, with messages that include: Let’s Face It, Mask Up; Superheroes Wear Masks; Wearing is Caring; Mask Me About My Smile; Just Keep Smiling; and I’m Still Smiling.

“As we continue to support pandemic relief efforts, we’re bringing our understanding of the people who are most impacted into action,” said Eduardo Martinez, President of The UPS Foundation and UPS Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. “We’re honored to collaborate with the Henry Schein Cares Foundation on their ‘Wearing is Caring’ campaign, as our collective efforts will help expand access to care in communities where help is urgently needed.”

“Philanthropic and private sector support is critical for use alongside government funding to meet needs that arise in rapidly evolving situations where speed and flexibility are paramount to saving and protecting lives,” said Dr. Judith Monroe, President and CEO, CDC Foundation. “Henry Schein Cares Foundation’s ‘Wearing is Caring’ campaign showcases the supportive role that corporations can enhance health equity and help protect diverse communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“When the coronavirus pandemic first hit the U.S., the National Urban League sounded the alarm on racial disparities in terms of public health and economic consequences,” said Marc Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League. “Public-private partnerships like this are urgently needed to bring support where it is most needed. Thanks to the foundations within Henry Schein, UPS and the CDC, that support is being delivered.”

In addition to HSCF, the following organizations contributed financial support to the ‘Wearing is Caring’ campaign thus far: Bedford HealthCare, Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, Kuraray, Medicom, Crest+Oral-B, Pac-Dent, Inc., Richmond Medical & Dental, SDI, Dr. Edward B. Shils Entrepreneurial Fund, Inc., Shofu Dental, UPS and The UPS Foundation, VISTA Dental Products, and Verena Solutions. As the campaign continues, Henry Schein and its partners will identify and work with additional organizations to further expand public awareness around health care disparities in underserved communities, the importance of oral health care, and the need for social distancing and wearing of face coverings.

The donated face coverings are for personal use only and are washable and reusable. The face coverings are not FDA-approved or cleared medical devices or personal protective equipment (PPE). The face masks are for use in covering the user’s nose and mouth to help prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 from the user to others during the pandemic. They are not for use in surgical settings or where significant exposure to liquid, bodily, or other hazardous fluids may be expected; clinical settings where the infection risk level through inhalation exposure is high; or the presence of a high intensity heat source or flammable gas. To learn more, please visit www.hscaresfoundation.org.

About Henry Schein Cares Foundation Inc.

Established in 2008, the Henry Schein Cares Foundation works to foster, support, and promote dental and medical health by helping to increase access to care in communities around the world. The Henry Schein Cares Foundation carries out its mission through financial and health care product donations to non-profit organizations supporting health care professionals and community-based programs focused on prevention, wellness, and treatment; disaster preparedness and relief; and capacity building of health institutions that provide training and care.

The Foundation is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Contributions to the Foundation are tax-deductible as provided by law.

About  Henry Schein, Inc.

Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC) is a solutions company for health care professionals powered by a network of people and technology. With approximately 19,000 Team Schein Members worldwide, the Company’s network of trusted advisors provides more than 1 million customers globally with more than 300 valued solutions that improve operational success and clinical outcomes. Our Business, Clinical, Technology, and Supply Chain solutions help office-based dental and medical practitioners work more efficiently so they can provide quality care more effectively. These solutions also support dental laboratories, government and institutional healthcare clinics, as well as other alternate care sites.

Henry Schein operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, with a selection of more than 120,000 branded products and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as more than 180,000 additional products available as special-order items.

A FORTUNE 500 Company and a member of the S&P 500® index, Henry Schein is headquartered in Melville, N.Y., and has operations or affiliates in 31 countries. The Company’s sales from continuing operations reached $10.0 billion in 2019, and have grown at a compound annual rate of approximately 13 percent since Henry Schein became a public company in 1995.

For more information, visit Henry Schein at www.henryschein.com, Facebook.com/HenrySchein, and @HenrySchein on Twitter.

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Ann Marie Gothard, Vice President, Corporate Media Relations, Annmarie.gothard@henryschein.com, (631) 390 – 8169

Source: Henry Schein Cares Foundation