The pioneering collaboration between Simon Youth Foundation (SYF) and CVS Pharmacy brings together two innovative, youth-serving programs that complement the goals each has set forth. Since 1998, SYF has developed highly-successful alternative schools called Education Resource Centers (ERCs) for students who are at-risk of not completing high school. With ERC students thriving in the program, SYF began to focus on programs that assist with the transition to school or work. During the same period, CVS started the Pathways to Pharmacy program as a proactive way to reach out to youth and recruit and retain high-quality employees. Through its partnership, both SYF and CVS worked in partnership to offer students enhanced real-life job and life-skills training.
In 2007, it's inaugural year, the partnership was piloted in Indianapolis. In total, six ERC students participated in the program. Each student worked an eight-week, paid internship as a pharmacy technician at a CVS pharmacy. As part of the program, CVS offers students who thrive to continue to work at one of their pharmacies and, if the student chooses to pursue a degree in pharmacy, CVS assists with the costs of pharmacy school. In addition, SYF offers post-secondary scholarships to graduates of ERCs.
The partnership between CVS and SYF will continue to be expanded each year, eventually involving all of SYF's ERCs who have a CVS pharmacy in their community. SYF currently has 21 ERCs in 11 states, and will grow the program by two-to-four schools a year.
For more information on the program, visit http://www.uschamber.com/bclc/awards/2008partawardcvs.htm
In an effort to improve the overall health of women and children in Cambodia, Abbott and the Abbott Fund have partnered with Direct Relief International to support nutrition awareness, education and training programs for physicians, nurses and families at Angkor Hospital for Children, a leading pediatric teaching hospital in Siem Reap that offers free comprehensive care and trains thousands of Cambodian health workers every year.
In 2005, the Abbott Fund strategy was re-aligned to focus on improving access to care in disease areas where it had significant expertise and the greatest opportunity to make a positive impact, like pediatric nutrition.
At the same time, Abbott recognized that it needed to partner with an organization that could help deliver products safely and effectively to where they were needed most -- on-the-ground and in the hands of medical and relief professionals. As a partnership, Direct Relief International, Abbott Laboratories and the Abbott Fund leveraged grants and in-kind product donations to help expand the capacity of Angkor Hospital for Children. The partnership has provided much needed cash grants and more than $1 million worth of nutritional and pharmaceutical products. The partnership also supports on-going efforts of the hospital to train healthcare workers on counseling families and building awareness of the nutritional needs of children.
For more information on the program, visit http://www.uschamber.com/bclc/awards/2008partawardabbott.htm
