Washington, D.C. – February 8, 2021 – For Immediate Release – A New Health Equity Partnership with Pfizer
The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) is pleased to announce that Pfizer, an ACU long term Corporate Ally and one of the world’s premier biopharmaceutical companies, will join ACU in a new initiative to improve health equity for the underserved. Through its Multicultural Health Equity Collective, Pfizer will fund and participate in a variety of educational initiatives, including a webinar series spotlighting topics in health and vaccine equity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For years Pfizer has demonstrated its deep commitment to improving health equity and addressing health disparities, particularly within underserved and underrepresented communities,” said Amanda Pears Kelly, ACU Executive Director “This commitment goes far beyond simply ‘talking the talk’— exemplified in its work with community-based organizations and their support for events and activities to care for the underserved. ACU is thrilled to continue its long-standing partnership with Pfizer to take clear and consistent action with initiatives dedicated to addressing health disparities among the most vulnerable populations and to support the clinician workforce caring for those most in need.”
This strategic partnership will encompass a variety of initiatives leveraging Pfizer’s deep knowledge base in health equity and health care delivery and ACU’s extensive expertise and committed community of frontline providers and partners working to improve care for the underserved. As part of the collaboration, ACU will work with Pfizer to present key webinars and an educational session at ACU’s 2021 Annual Conference to improve the field’s understanding of core issues in COVID-19 and health equity—from diversity in clinical trials to vaccine confidence.
“This is not just a powerful alliance to help improve care for patients in underserved communities. It’s also a critical opportunity to aid our community in a time of crisis—and beyond,” said Pears Kelly.
ACU has played a crucial role in assisting health centers and other organizations providing care to underserved patients on the frontlines of the pandemic. In 2020, ACU was pleased to provide health centers across the U.S. with lifesaving personal protective equipment, including over 51,000 N95 masks, 7,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, and 2.5 million pairs of gloves.
Pfizer’s partnership is part of the ACU’s Corporate Ally program, which offers corporations an opportunity to interact with a diverse community of over 10,000 individuals, organizations, and advocates working with the underserved while directly collaborating with ACU to improve health equity.
About ACU
The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved is a uniquely transdisciplinary membership association uniting clinicians, advocates, and organizations in the shared mission to improve the health of America’s underserved populations and to support the clinicians serving them. ACU provides professional education, training and technical assistance, and clinical tools and programs to thousands of clinicians and organizations every year to improve health equity for the underserved. Founded in 1996 by members and alumni of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), ACU is the leading voice of advocacy for the NHSC, and its collective community includes over 10,000 organizations, individuals, and advocates. To learn more about ACU, visit www.clinicians.org, like ACU on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
