Walking the Walk: Bayer Employees Go the Extra Mile in Support of Patients, Caregivers, Community

At Bayer, we're proud to be leading innovators in the field of healthcare, seeking always to live up to the Bayer mission, Science for a Better Life. We develop medications in the areas of Oncology, Women's Health, Hematology, Neurology, Ophthalmology and Diagnostic Imaging. We have achieved success by delivering innovative healthcare solutions that make a significant difference in people's lives.

That commitment doesn't end at the office door. Every day, throughout the country, on weekends and in our hometowns, Bayer employees support people affected by the diseases we treat, serve the communities in which we live and work and strive to ensure a sustainable environment for future generations.

Our Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) are great examples of our commitment to patients and the community. In 2010, through our PAPs, we helped more than 35,000 uninsured and underinsured people in the U.S. gain access to the medication they need. Our programs help patients either by providing free medication or by providing co-pay assistance.

We contribute in many other ways. Here are some examples:

Walking the Walk

We put our best foot forward (literally.) If you add up the miles our employees biked and walked in support of patient organizations dedicated to people living with the diseases we treat, we'd have travelled more than 1,000 miles This activity is voluntary on the part of employees, many of whom don their Bayer t-shirts and walk or bike in fundraising events for MS, hemophilia, cystic fibrosis and heart disease, several times a year.

We continue to provide innovative support programs to help patients and their caregivers. Examples of this include our comprehensive BETAPLUS support program for people with MS; an iPhone application developed to help people with MS and hemophilia track their treatments; an exercise program specifically designed for children and young adults with hemophilia; NexConnect, a free education and support program for people living with liver or kidney cancer; and, in the women's health arena, a sustained folate awareness education and outreach program.

Ensuring Sustainability for Future Generations

We also take our commitment to sustainability seriously. Bayer's facilities at the Wayne, New Jersey home office site use solar cells as a renewable energy source to operate more efficiently and reduce the amount of energy required from other sources. Through an innovative recycling and composting program, we have reduced our total landfill waste generated in Wayne by more than 80 percent in the last year and a half.

We also facilitate a number of computer and cell phone recycling drives among employees each year and are a leading advocate for the industry group PhRMA's annual American Medicine Chest Challenge, which promotes the safe and sustainable disposal of unused medications.

Local Outreach

Last year, we provided charitable contributions to more than 25 organizations throughout New Jersey, including the Wayne Police Department, the New Jersey Governor's School of the Sciences, The Seeing Eye, the National Guard Readiness Council, Cancer Care of New Jersey, Special Olympics New Jersey and the Community Food Bank of New Jersey.

"It's deeply satisfying for employees to have the opportunity to give back to the communities in which we work, especially through the support of their employer," said Nichelle Howe, Human Resources Business Partner and Chair of the Wayne and Montville-based Employee Community Team. "Partnering relationships with our surrounding communities are great for all of us."