Catholic Medical Mission Board Releases 2021 Summer Impact Report: “Through Challenging Times, We Continue to Serve”

Through the challenging times of COVID-19, CMMB continues to serve those most in need through maternal health services, health system strengthening, medical donations, and strategic partnerships.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Thursday, July 15th, 2021

Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) has released its 2021 Summer Impact Report, highlighting stories of resilience from vulnerable communities where we work. Through the challenging times of COVID-19 and its impact on already fragile health systems, CMMB has expanded maternal health services and distributed more than $160 million worth of medical products to healthcare partners worldwide.

Through our Children and Mothers Partnership program (CHAMPS)—which provides live-saving medical care to women, children, and their communities—CMMB reached 216,918 people and 27,933 children under 5 years old with health and human services. An additional 47,159 people received improved access to clean water. With its critical impact in reducing preventable illnesses and morbidity, CMMB is expanding CHAMPS over the next 3 years.

“Years of providing care, building partnerships and the foundational elements of our CHAMPS program—access to clean water, building healthcare capacity and access to medicines and supplies—proved pivotal as many of these practices mirrored the vital needs in helping treat and slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Dianne Jean-François, CMMB Country Director in Haiti. “The expansion of our CHAMPS program will allow us to extend the reach and impact in our communities.”

Together with pharmaceutical partners, such as Merck & Co., CMMB’s Medical Donations Program has expanded access to healthcare for the world’s most vulnerable communities. Merck & Co. provides medicines and medical supplies that are in high demand by local hospital partners and has had an important impact on CMMB’s CHAMPS communities.

“CMMB is proud to partner with Merck & Co. to not only increase access to high quality medicines around the world and to optimize their use, but to enhance support of those at the forefront of the crucial work of healthcare for their communities,” said Darnelle Bernier, Vice President of CMMB’s Medical Donations Program.

From October 2020 through March 2021, $162,451,763 worth of medical products were distributed to 16 different countries and 29 healthcare partners received medical products to distribute worldwide, proving vital in many countries deeply impacted by the pandemic.

“Inventory throughout South Sudan was low, so we could not properly prepare—there was no PPE, no sanitizer, facilities were not ready,” said Dr. Mustapha Andruma from CMMB’s St. Theresa Hospital in South Sudan. “Donations from CMMB made it possible for us to receive a lot of PPE and supplies that we initially didn’t have.” Now, CMMB is working to roll out vaccines at the state level in South Sudan.

View the 2021 Summer Impact Report here: https://cmmb.org/2021-summer-impact-report/

For questions about the information contained within this press release or about CMMB and its programs, please contact the Director of Communications, Luke Dougherty at LDougherty@cmmb.org

About CMMB

CMMB (Catholic Medical Mission Board) provides long-term medical and development aid to communities affected by poverty and unequal access to healthcare. Focusing on women’s and children health, we deliver sustainable health services in Peru, Haiti, Kenya, South Sudan, and Zambia. For over a century, we have worked to strengthen and support communities through healthcare programs and initiatives, the placement of volunteer, and the distribution of medicines and medical supplies. CMMB has delivered over 3,000 shipments with a total value of more than $4 billion worth of medical aid in 88 countries over the last ten years.

Learn more at: https://cmmb.org/