McKesson Marrow Drive exceeded expectations
With financial support from a McKesson Foundation grant, McKesson organized more than 65 marrow donor drives in February and March at their offices across the United States to educate employees about the importance of joining the registry and give them the opportunity to potentially save a life, setting a goal of adding at least 2,000 potential donors to the registry.
“A marrow transplant is often the only hope for patients facing blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma,” said John H. Hammergren, chairman and CEO, McKesson Corporation. “At its core, our company stands for better health – not only for our customers and their patients, but for ourselves and our communities. I am proud that our employees live out our mission every day – including personally committing to help patients in need.”
Each year, nearly three-quarters of the more than 20,000 Americans in need of a transplant will turn to the registry in hopes of finding a match. The need is particularly great for donors who are ethnic minorities or of mixed ethnic background. Despite the need, only 2% of the U.S. population is registered as a potential donor.
Although there is no cost for a volunteer to join, there is a \\$60 lab processing fee for each donor kit. Through a generous grant from the McKesson Foundation, this cost will be covered to tissue-type all employees’ kits.
“Gift of Life is grateful to McKesson Corporation for recognizing the importance of increasing donors on the registry and giving their employees an extraordinary opportunity to become lifesavers,” said Gift of Life chief executive officer and founder Jay Feinberg. “The commitment to better health and the well-being of others is ingrained in their corporate culture and it is clear from the response of their employees that this is a company that cares.”
Registering is fast and painless, and requires a simple swab from the inside of your cheek and completion of a health history questionnaire to be enrolled in Gift of Life’s international public registry. A screening kit can be sent directly to a person’s home.
“With many patients still not able to find their match, the only answer is to increase the size of the registry,” said Christine Lopez, president, McKesson Foundation. “The marrow registry drive is well-aligned with the McKesson Foundation’s focus on support for cancer patients and we were confident our employees would welcome the opportunity to make a difference for patients who truly need our help.”
For more information about Gift of Life and saving lives through bone marrow donation, please visit www.giftoflife.org or call 1-800-9MARROW.
About McKesson Corporation
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 11th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to making the business of healthcare run better. McKesson partners with payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and others across the spectrum of care to build healthier organizations that deliver better care to patients in every setting. McKesson helps its customers improve their financial, operational, and clinical performance with solutions that include pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management, healthcare information technology, and business and clinical services. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com.
About Gift of Life
Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives and facilitating bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related diseases. Ranking among the top international bone marrow registries, Gift of Life’s vision is to find A match. Anytime. Anywhere. For Anyone. For more information visit, www.giftoflife.org
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