AstraZeneca donation supports CHEST’s physician resource and patient education response to COVID-19
June 29, 2020
GLENVIEW, IL— Recognizing the urgent need to provide enhanced physician resources and additional patient education to help mitigate the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, AstraZeneca (AZ) has donated $500,000 in support of the American College of Chest Physicians® (CHEST) COVID-19 education and relief efforts.
The AZ donation will provide immediate support for CHEST’s education and resource initiatives crucial for physicians during this pandemic and support the CHEST Foundation’s community grants program to address access and empowerment barriers for at risk populations.
The donation will also support the expansion of the Clinician Matching Network, a free service that connects skilled clinicians with hospitals in need of additional frontline staff. Clinicians are recruited from the partnering associations of CHEST, American Association for Respiratory Care, American Society of Anesthesiologists and American Thoracic Society. During the initial surge of COVID-19, the Clinician Matching Network was able to link more than 350 physicians willing to serve in the hospitals most impacted, especially for those in New York City.
In addition, CHEST has developed patient and caregiver-focused resources that address the unique challenges and needs for individuals with chronic lung conditions, such as asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis and interstitial lung disease. This includes videos and online resources easily understood by the nonmedical community, including patients and their families.
“As the world faces this unprecedented health crisis, CHEST’s ability to educate and support the clinicians who are leading this fight and caring for our loved ones is critically important. Partnerships with global scientific leaders like AstraZeneca are essential to expanding our resources for clinicians and outreach to patients most at risk,” said Stephanie M. Levine, MD, FCCP, and President of CHEST.
“We are incredibly proud of the immediate response by CHEST in the fight against COVID-19 and their efforts to support at-risk populations, focus on health disparities and to innovate with other societies to make the clinician match network a reality. We appreciate all that CHEST is leading to support providers, patients and our communities in these extremely challenging times,” said Mina Makar, Senior Vice President, US Respiratory and Immunology, AstraZeneca.
CHEST will continue to release additional resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to support physicians and patients. For more information, go to chestnet.org.
About the American College of Chest Physicians
The American College of Chest Physicians® (CHEST) is the global leader in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases. Its mission is to champion advanced clinical practice, education communication and research in chest medicine. It serves as an essential connection to clinical knowledge and resources for its 19,000+ members from around the world who provide patient care in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. For information about the American College of Chest Physicians, and its flagship journal CHEST®, visit chestnet.org.