KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. - (Business Wire) CSL Behring, a global leader in the plasma protein biotherapeutics industry, is launching a new program to support patient organizations
’ grassroots advocacy efforts in the United States. Called Local Empowerment for Advocacy Development, or LEAD, the program will make grants available to groups of patients who have rare diseases and who use plasma-derived and recombinant therapies to manage their conditions. The program, which is the latest initiative in CSL Behring
’s continued commitment to patient advocacy, includes two initiatives: LEAD Grants and Raise Your Voice!, a youth-focused advocacy training program.
“CSL Behring is committed to empowering patients who have rare diseases. This commitment includes offering extensive support at both the national and state levels to secure and maintain patient access to care,” said Dennis Jackman, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs. “We’ve designed LEAD Grants to assist patient organizations with the additional resources they may need in order to influence public policy initiatives related to accessing medical care. Through Raise Your Voice!, we will collaborate with United States patient organizations to develop the next generation of health advocacy leaders. Raise Your Voice! will give youth the necessary skills to advocate for their future healthcare needs.”
LEAD Grants are community-based grants of approximately $10,000 designed to help patient organizations achieve their grassroots and state advocacy initiatives. In spite of limited resources, grassroots patient organizations have already demonstrated significant leadership in tackling complex legislative and regulatory public policy issues. CSL Behring LEAD Grants will help defray these significant costs.
Raise Your Voice! is a youth-focused advocacy training program dedicated to empowering youth and helping them become tomorrow’s advocacy leaders. The program, which will be administered by grassroots patient organizations, will serve as an introduction to advocacy for young people, aged 16 to 23 years. CSL Behring will collaborate with partnering advocacy organizations to develop training programs, offer legislative visits and provide political speakers.
LEAD Grant applications must be received by April 30, 2008. Applications, specific criteria for applying, and more information about LEAD are available on the CSL Behring Web site at www.cslbehring.com/leadgrants. The grants will be awarded to organizations demonstrating financial assistance is needed to accomplish important grassroots and state advocacy issues and initiatives. In order to qualify for a LEAD Grant, a grassroots organization must be a recognized patient advocacy organization representing individuals who use plasma/recombinant therapies to treat bleeding disorders, immune disorders, Alpha-1 deficiency or other conditions. The organization, which should either be planning to address an advocacy issue or currently addressing such an issue, must also be a non-profit with 501(c)(3) tax status.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a global leader in the plasma protein biotherapeutics industry. Passionate about saving and improving the quality of patients' lives, CSL Behring manufactures and markets a range of safe and effective plasma-derived and recombinant products and related services. The company's therapies are used in the treatment of rare diseases such as immune deficiency disorders, hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, other bleeding disorders and inherited emphysema. Other products are used for the prevention of hemolytic diseases in the newborn, in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation and in the treatment of burns. The company also operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, ZLB Plasma. CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited, a biopharmaceutical company with headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit www.cslbehring.com.
CSL Behring
Roger Bentley, 610-878-4155
Roger.Bentley@cslbehring.com
