In the pediatric ward of a hospital in Kyrgyzstan, a critically ill newborn is fighting for her life. A feeding tube donated by Cardinal Health is her only source of nourishment – and her lifeline. She is one of the lucky ones. Hospitals throughout the former Soviet Union routinely go without basic medical supplies that can make the difference between life and death for some patients.

Thanks in large part to Cardinal Health, more than 2,000 hospitals and health clinics Americares supports worldwide have the medical consumables so essential for quality medical care. Since 1996, Cardinal Health has donated more than $20 million worth of products to Americares for distribution to 83 countries.

In recognition of the great volume and consistency of Cardinal Health’s donations – the company brings at least one truckload of products to Americares every month – Americares presented Cardinal Health with its Power of Partnership Award at the Healthcare Distribution Management Association’s annual leadership forum in October of 2009.  The award recognizes an in-kind donor that demonstrates exceptional dedication to improving health care for disadvantaged populations.

“Cardinal Health goes to extraordinary lengths to help people in need,” said Americares Corporate Relations Manager Joanne Cooper. “Recently, Cardinal Health consolidated all of the available medical supplies and over-the-counter medicines in its 22 warehouses and donated them to Americares. By the time they were done, we had 30 truckloads of surgical tools and other medical supplies ready to be deployed to those in desperate need.”

Cardinal Health supports Americares emergency response work as well as Americares ongoing shipments to hospitals and clinics in the developing world. Cardinal Health products are also used by volunteer doctors and nurses who go overseas to provide free medical care through Americares Medical Outreach Program.

“As a global health care company, we understand the importance of donating medical products and other resources for immediate use in times of disaster and also for long-term humanitarian assistance,” said Shelley Bird, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for Cardinal Health and chairperson of the Cardinal Health Foundation. “Americares is an excellent partner we can count on to get our products to the right place at the right time for those most in need.”