PITTSBURGH and NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 11,
2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ: VTRS), a new
kind of global healthcare company, today announced a $1 million donation that will have multi-year
impact to SBP, a national U.S.-based not-for-profit organization
dedicated to shrinking the time between disaster and recovery for
low-income survivors. The partnership will focus primarily on SBP's
Got Your Back Fund, an initiative that prioritizes post-disaster
support for low-to-moderate income U.S. veterans.
COVID-19 has reinforced the need for secure housing to safely
shelter from the virus, especially for communities and individuals
facing higher risks due to the physical and mental health
challenges associated with housing instability. Through the Got
Your Back Fund, SBP seeks to address this problem by rebuilding,
repairing and performing modifications on homes for low-income
veterans living with disabilities in disaster-impacted communities
across the U.S.
"Viatris is committed to create lasting, positive change by
partnering with great organizations like SBP to help provide access
to services and social support for those in need," said
Michael Goettler, Chief
Executive Officer of Viatris. "The biggest barrier to
reaching and serving more veterans after a disaster is funding. As
we take today to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S.
veterans, Viatris is honored to serve as the Founding Champion of
the Got Your Back Fund, which will rebuild homes for at least 50
veterans."
Nearly one in three Americans live in a county hit by a weather
disaster in the past three months, according to recent reports.
Compounding the issue, low-income veterans, especially those living
with disabilities, are often the last to seek help and face a high
number of barriers, making them among the populations most severely
affected when a disaster strikes. A drawn-out recovery without a
predictable path forward means prolonged trauma for those who were
impacted, and this is especially true when safe and secure housing
is lost.
"We can't thank Viatris enough for their tremendous investment
in those who have dedicated their lives to protect and
serve others," said Zack Rosenburg,
co-founder and CEO of SBP. "Disasters exacerbate already-existing
inequalities, pushing people to their breaking point. Veterans so
often hate asking for help and frequently prioritize the needs of
others over their own. Viatris, as the Fund's Founding
Champion, has created a pathway to make it easier for veterans to
get the help that they deserve. We are incredibly grateful for the
company's ongoing support."
With this donation, Viatris has provided more than $3 million in financial support to SBP since
2016. Today's actions follow a previous donation of
$1million to support SBP for long
term recovery efforts in Puerto
Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2018.
Additionally, in 2016, the company donated a combined $1 million to Greater Greenbrier Valley Community
Foundation (a partner with SBP), and SBP, for Hope Village, an
innovative housing project to help families affected by the
devasting thousand-year flood of 2016 that took 23 lives and
destroyed countless homes in southern West Virginia.
About Viatris
Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ: VTRS) is a
new kind of healthcare company, empowering people worldwide to live
healthier at every stage of life. We provide access to medicines,
advance sustainable operations, develop innovative solutions and
leverage our collective expertise to connect more people to more
products and services through our one-of-a-kind Global Healthcare
Gateway®. Formed in November 2020, Viatris brings together
scientific, manufacturing and distribution expertise with proven
regulatory, medical and commercial capabilities to deliver
high-quality medicines to patients in more than 165 countries and
territories. Viatris' portfolio comprises more than 1,400 approved
molecules across a wide range of therapeutic areas, spanning both
non-communicable and infectious diseases, including globally
recognized brands, complex generic and branded medicines, a growing
portfolio of biosimilars and a variety of over-the-counter consumer
products. With a global workforce of over 38,000, Viatris is
headquartered in the U.S., with global centers in Pittsburgh, Shanghai and Hyderabad, India. Learn more at
viatris.com and investor.viatris.com, and connect
with us on Twitter at @ViatrisInc, LinkedIn and
YouTube.
About SBP
SBP, a social impact organization focused
on disaster resilience and recovery, solves the challenges facing
at-risk communities by bringing the rigor of business and
innovation to drive social impact, create resilient communities,
and streamline recovery. To shrink the time between disaster and
recovery, SBP takes a holistic approach — reducing risk, increasing
resilience and improving the recovery process — to effect
transformational change in the disaster recovery system and restore
opportunity and security for people and communities.
Since its founding in 2006 in St.
Bernard Parish, Louisiana following the devastation wrought
by Hurricane Katrina, SBP has rebuilt homes for more than 2,800
families with the help of 150,000 volunteers in 14 communities
across the U.S. and in the Bahamas. To learn more, visit
www.SBPUSA.org, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:
@SBPUSA
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SOURCE Viatris Inc.