Delete Blood Cancer DKMS Teams Up with Henry Schein to Raise Awareness about the Need for More Bone Marrow Donors
Organizations Join Forces to Grow National Registry
New York, NY, October 7, 2015: Delete Blood Cancer DKMS, part of the world’s largest network of bone marrow donor centers, announced today its new collaboration with Henry Schein Cares, the global corporate social responsibility program of Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSIC), the world’s largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners. This collaboration follows a successful project in which multiple state dental associations partnered with Delete Blood Cancer to help grow the national bone marrow donor registry. The first to join the effort was the Michigan Dental Association (MDA) in 2012, followed by the New York State Dental Association (NYSDA) and Georgia Dental Association (GDA) in the next couple years.
The national registration campaign was sparked by just one Michigan dentist, Dr. Steven Conlon. “Many of our dental patients are young, healthy people with whom we share trusting relationships and who are unaware of the urgent need for bone marrow donors,” said Dr. Conlon. “We have the opportunity as health care providers to help educate our patients and address this need by encouraging them to register.” On average, about 150,000 Americans are diagnosed every year with a blood cancer, such as leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. This does not include the number of people affected by blood diseases, such as severe forms of anemia, which call for similar treatment methods. Nearly 70 percent of patients requiring a transplant will need one from an unrelated donor and less than half of patients looking for a donor match will find one. Delete Blood Cancer is dedicated to beating these odds, alongside our dental partners, one swab at a time.
“As a global provider of health care products and services, we know the importance of having a strong network that provides exactly what is needed by an individual customer exactly when it is needed. This is what Delete Blood Cancer is doing by linking potential donors and recipients, facilitating exactly the right match for each transplant,” said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein, Inc. “Henry Schein is very pleased to help support Delete Blood Cancer in building this important network as we work together to raise awareness about blood cancer and the need to increase the number of potential bone marrow donors.”
Henry Schein Cares will support Delete Blood Cancer with in-kind marketing, communications and social media services on an annual basis to champion the cause among the dental offices that Henry Schein serves, encouraging dentists to get involved. Delete Blood Cancer will send promotional materials and swab kits to participating dental offices to help dentists and staff educate patients about the importance of registering as a potential donor and the donation process. Interested patients will then have an opportunity to complete a registration form and swab the inside of their mouths at the dentist offices to register. Each office will send back all collected registration forms and swabs for testing, with postage paid by Delete Blood Cancer. To learn more about this partnership and get involved, please visit DeleteBloodCancer.org/Dental.
About Delete Blood Cancer
Delete Blood Cancer DKMS is part of the world’s largest network of donor centers. Our mission is to build the number of suitable bone marrow and stem cell donors, because we believe that no life should be lost due to an inability to find a donor match. We have registered more than 5 million potential donors and facilitated more than 50,000 transplants around the world. But we’re not stopping there. We lead the fight against blood cancer by working with families, communities and organizations to recruit donors and provide more patients with second chances at life.
For more information or to register as a bone marrow donor, please visit DeleteBloodCancer.org.
About Henry Schein Cares
Henry Schein Cares stands on four pillars: engaging Team Schein Members to reach their potential, ensuring accountability by extending ethical business practices to all levels within Henry Schein, promoting environmental sustainability, and expanding access to health care for underserved and at-risk communities around the world. Health care activities supported by Henry Schein Cares focus on three main areas: advancing wellness, building capacity in the delivery of health care services, and assisting in emergency preparedness and relief.
Firmly rooted in a deep commitment to social responsibility and the concept of enlightened self-
interest championed by Benjamin Franklin, the philosophy behind Henry Schein Cares is a vision of “doing well by doing good.” Through the work of Henry Schein Cares to enhance access to care for those in need, the Company believes that it is furthering its long-term success. “Helping Health Happen Blog” is a platform for health care professionals to share their volunteer experiences delivering assistance to those in need globally. To read more about how Henry Schein Cares is making a difference, please visit our blog:
http://helpinghealthhappen.org/.
About Henry Schein, Inc.
Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSIC) is the world’s largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners. The Company also serves dental laboratories, government and institutional health care clinics, and other alternate care sites. A Fortune 500® Company and a member of the S&P 500® and the NASDAQ 100® indexes, Henry Schein employs more than 18,000 Team Schein Members and serves more than one million customers.
The Company offers a comprehensive selection of products and services, including value-added solutions for operating efficient practices and delivering high-quality care. Henry Schein operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, with a selection of more than 100,000 branded products and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as more than 150,000 additional products available as special-order items. The Company also offers its customers exclusive, innovative technology solutions, including practice management software and e-commerce solutions, as well as a broad range of financial services.
Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Henry Schein has operations or affiliates in 33 countries. The Company’s sales reached a record $10.4 billion in 2014, and have grown at a compound annual rate of approximately 16 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.
Contact: Press Department, 212.209.6700, press@deletebloodcancer.org