The Clorox Company Foundation is awarding a series of grants to three organizations on the front lines of fighting coronavirus: Direct Relief, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation's Emergency Response Fund and the American Red Cross. The donations, totaling $5 million, will directly go toward "care for the caregivers" — people who are working with these organizations on the front lines to support public health.
“We are humbled by the work being done by these organizations in the fight against the coronavirus and want to join them in providing aid to caregivers who are performing heroic acts during this time of need,” says Benno Dorer, chair of The Clorox Company Foundation and chair and CEO of The Clorox Company.
Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies. The Clorox Company Foundation's donation will potentially assist 250,000 healthcare facility caregivers and employees across the United States responding to coronavirus by:
- Alleviating strain on the nation's hospitals, emergency rooms and ICUs and its caregivers.
- Providing assistance in the form of personal protective equipment to protect health workers.
- Purchasing and distributing portable oxygen concentrators allowing intensive care units to discharge patients on the other side of critical care for COVID-19.
Donations to the CDC Foundation's Emergency Response Fund will help bolster healthcare system and provider readiness, such as:
- Managing needs for healthcare providers, from ensuring adequate medical supplies to workforce challenges, including childcare and family support.
- Disease control including required tracking and follow-up as community transmission occurs and training for caregivers.
- Expanding communication infrastructure between hospitals and state and local health departments.
Donations to American Red Cross aid the safety and well-being of Red Cross frontline caregivers and donors through:
- Enacting enhanced disinfecting measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, or any respiratory infection.
- Bolstering temperature checks for donors and frontline caregivers, to protect the well-being of individuals at blood drives and donation centers.
- Increasing American Red Cross’ reach and capacity to help ensure blood products are available for patients in need and mitigate risk to caregivers and donors.
Clorox isn’t the only brand stepping up in times of crises. Read about Proctor & Gamble and Cintas teaming up with Matthew 25: Ministries in Nashville to provide tornado relief here.