CHERRY HILL, N.J., Dec. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TD today
announced the recipients of the second annual TD Ready Challenge,
totaling over $3 million. Each
organization will each receive a $750,000* grant for programs aimed at improving
access to early detection of disease and disease intervention. This
year's TD Ready Challenge will fund the pioneering work of the
following U.S.-based organizations:
- Fund for Public Health in NYC
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- Baystate Health Foundation/Baystate Health
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Combined, the 2019 TD Ready Challenge awarded $7.5 million to 10 healthcare organizations
across Canada and the U.S.
Acting as a catalyst for social innovation, TD established the
TD Ready Challenge in 2018 to identify and support scalable
solutions to a specific issue identified within The Ready
Commitment. This year's competition sought groundbreaking programs
rooted in clinical health solutions that focus on preventative
efforts, such as screening, early detection and intervention
innovations, with the aim of reducing the onset, development and
severity of chronic disease and illness in traditionally
underserved communities.
"While advances in healthcare enable many to lead healthier
lives, the unfortunate reality is that not all communities have
equal access to quality healthcare," said Greg Braca, CEO, TD Bank. "We believe that when
people feel better about their health, they feel better about their
future, which is why we're focused on supporting research,
solutions and technologies that make healthcare more accessible for
everyone. The Ready Challenge is an incredible opportunity for the
bank to help improve the lives of our customers, colleagues and
communities."
From over 378 submissions from organizations across the U.S. and
Canada, TD selected 15
semi-finalists who presented their solutions on November 5 in Toronto,
Ontario. The 10 winners, six Canadian and four U.S.
organizations, were then chosen by a panel of TD executives. A
complete listing of all TD Ready Challenge winners can be found
at:
https://www.td.com/ca/en/about-td/ready-commitment/funding/the-ready-challenge/
The four U.S. winners aim to address problems ranging from
sexual health services to childhood trauma.
Fund for Public Health in NYC
The Fund for Public Health in NYC, on behalf of the New York City Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene, will receive funding to expand the
successful Quickie Lab (currently only available at one site) to
the Fort Greene Sexual Health Clinic (SHC) in Brooklyn. SHCs provide low-to-no cost sexual
health services regardless of immigration status or insurance
coverage. The Quickie Lab provides rapid chlamydia and gonorrhea
testing to asymptomatic patients without seeing a clinical
provider. Results are available in hours instead of days,
empowering patients to receive treatment as soon as possible. Rapid
diagnosis and treatment of asymptomatic infections helps reduce
disease transmission and prevent long-term health consequences. The
Fort Greene SHC was identified as the next Quickie Lab site based
on patient volume and burden of disease.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New
York
There are over 600,000 cancer deaths yearly in the U.S.
Underrepresented minorities have a higher incidence of cancer and a
lower survival rate. Cancer organoids are a breakthrough technology
platform developed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientists that
reproduce a patient's tumor and recapitulate tumor sensitivities to
chemotherapy and other drugs. The funding will help start up a
dedicated organoid facility at CSHL that will leverage this
technology to advance the development of high-throughput,
affordable organoid-based clinical tests. These capabilities will
help underserved populations by ensuring widespread access to
advanced cancer testing to directly improve outcomes of all cancer
patients.
Baystate Health Foundation/Baystate Health, Massachusetts
For low-to-moderate income and at-risk populations, barriers to
receiving life-saving health screenings, early detection and
referrals include lack of transportation, financial constraints,
and work and family commitments. Baystate Health Foundation will
use its grant to launch the TD Bank-Baystate Health Bus – a mobile
preventive health clinic. Additionally, this initiative will be
used to develop a unique interdisciplinary education plan to train
our next generation of healthcare professionals to bring care
directly to the community where they live and congregate instead of
having the community come to them for care.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Philadelphia
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Growing Resilience in Teens
(GRIT) project employs an innovative approach which aims to
proactively address trauma for high-risk adolescents and prevent
mental illness. The GRIT project will use the grant money to
improve the health of vulnerable children and families through
clinic-based screening for exposure to violence and trauma,
referring families to community-based organizations and assigning
community health workers to strengthen and build family engagement.
Ultimately, this initiative aims to demonstrate efficacy of the
model and document best practices to lead to further expansion to
other U.S. cities with high incidences of traumatic events.
"The 2018 TD Ready Challenge winners have already had an amazing
impact on their communities, showing us that this funding can truly
make a difference," said Shelley
Sylva, U.S. Head of Social Impact, TD. "We are confident
that the four 2019 TD Ready Challenge winners in the U.S. will
measurably improve the quality of healthcare access, research and
preventive care for those traditionally underserved in our
communities."
The TD Ready Challenge is part of The Ready Commitment, a
multi-year, North American Corporate Citizenship platform, which
among other initiatives targets CDN $1
billion (USD $750 million*) in
total funding by 2030 to creating more inclusive and sustainable
communities. Additional details about The Ready Commitment can be
found at www.td.com/TheReady Commitment.
About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®
TD
Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest
banks in the U.S., providing more than 9 million customers with a
full range of retail, small business and commercial banking
products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations
throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas
and Florida. In addition, TD Bank
and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth
management services through TD Wealth®, and vehicle
financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance.
TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill,
N.J. To learn more, visit www.td.com/us. Find TD Bank
on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank
Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services
company in North America. The
Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New
York and Toronto stock
exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD".
About TD Global Corporate Citizenship
TD has a
long-standing commitment to enriching the lives of its customers,
colleagues and communities. As part of its corporate citizenship
platform, The Ready Commitment, TD is targeting CDN $1
billion (US $750 million*) in total by 2030 towards
community giving in four areas critical to opening doors for a more
inclusive and sustainable tomorrow – Financial Security, Vibrant
Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through The
Ready Commitment TD aspires to link its business, philanthropy and
human capital to help people feel more confident - not just about
their finances, but also in their ability to achieve their personal
goals in a changing world. For further information,
visit www.td.com/thereadycommitment
*All USD amounts represent an estimate based on the
current foreign exchange rate from CDN.
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SOURCE TD Bank