PITTSBURGH and NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ: VTRS), a new kind of global healthcare company, today announced a $1 million donation that will have multi-year impact to SBP, a national U.S.-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to shrinking the time between disaster and recovery for low-income survivors. The partnership will focus primarily on SBP's Got Your Back Fund, an initiative that prioritizes post-disaster support for low-to-moderate income U.S. veterans.
COVID-19 has reinforced the need for secure housing to safely shelter from the virus, especially for communities and individuals facing higher risks due to the physical and mental health challenges associated with housing instability. Through the Got Your Back Fund, SBP seeks to address this problem by rebuilding, repairing and performing modifications on homes for low-income veterans living with disabilities in disaster-impacted communities across the U.S.
"Viatris is committed to create lasting, positive change by partnering with great organizations like SBP to help provide access to services and social support for those in need," said Michael Goettler, Chief Executive Officer of Viatris. "The biggest barrier to reaching and serving more veterans after a disaster is funding. As we take today to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans, Viatris is honored to serve as the Founding Champion of the Got Your Back Fund, which will rebuild homes for at least 50 veterans."
Nearly one in three Americans live in a county hit by a weather disaster in the past three months, according to recent reports. Compounding the issue, low-income veterans, especially those living with disabilities, are often the last to seek help and face a high number of barriers, making them among the populations most severely affected when a disaster strikes. A drawn-out recovery without a predictable path forward means prolonged trauma for those who were impacted, and this is especially true when safe and secure housing is lost.
"We can't thank Viatris enough for their tremendous investment in those who have dedicated their lives to protect and serve others," said Zack Rosenburg, co-founder and CEO of SBP. "Disasters exacerbate already-existing inequalities, pushing people to their breaking point. Veterans so often hate asking for help and frequently prioritize the needs of others over their own. Viatris, as the Fund's Founding Champion, has created a pathway to make it easier for veterans to get the help that they deserve. We are incredibly grateful for the company's ongoing support."
With this donation, Viatris has provided more than $3 million in financial support to SBP since 2016. Today's actions follow a previous donation of $1million to support SBP for long term recovery efforts in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2018. Additionally, in 2016, the company donated a combined $1 million to Greater Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation (a partner with SBP), and SBP, for Hope Village, an innovative housing project to help families affected by the devasting thousand-year flood of 2016 that took 23 lives and destroyed countless homes in southern West Virginia.
About Viatris
Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ: VTRS) is a new kind of healthcare company, empowering people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life. We provide access to medicines, advance sustainable operations, develop innovative solutions and leverage our collective expertise to connect more people to more products and services through our one-of-a-kind Global Healthcare Gateway®. Formed in November 2020, Viatris brings together scientific, manufacturing and distribution expertise with proven regulatory, medical and commercial capabilities to deliver high-quality medicines to patients in more than 165 countries and territories. Viatris' portfolio comprises more than 1,400 approved molecules across a wide range of therapeutic areas, spanning both non-communicable and infectious diseases, including globally recognized brands, complex generic and branded medicines, a growing portfolio of biosimilars and a variety of over-the-counter consumer products. With a global workforce of over 38,000, Viatris is headquartered in the U.S., with global centers in Pittsburgh, Shanghai and Hyderabad, India. Learn more at viatris.com and investor.viatris.com, and connect with us on Twitter at @ViatrisInc, LinkedIn and YouTube.
About SBP
SBP, a social impact organization focused on disaster resilience and recovery, solves the challenges facing at-risk communities by bringing the rigor of business and innovation to drive social impact, create resilient communities, and streamline recovery. To shrink the time between disaster and recovery, SBP takes a holistic approach — reducing risk, increasing resilience and improving the recovery process — to effect transformational change in the disaster recovery system and restore opportunity and security for people and communities.
Since its founding in 2006 in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, SBP has rebuilt homes for more than 2,800 families with the help of 150,000 volunteers in 14 communities across the U.S. and in the Bahamas. To learn more, visit www.SBPUSA.org, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @SBPUSA
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SOURCE Viatris Inc.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Jennifer Mauer, +1.724.514.1968, Communications@viatris.com, Jennifer.Mauer@viatris.com; Matt Klein, +1.917.710.8444, Communications@viatris.com, Matthew.klein@viatris.com; Hope Voelkel, +1.434.409-2492, hvoelkel@sbpusa.org; INVESTOR CONTACT: Bill Szablewski, +1.724.514.1813, InvestorRelations@viatris.com, William.Szablewski@viatris.com
