Convatec and Partners In Health announce new partnership to improve care for chronic conditions

Multi-year $2 million partnership will improve more than 250,000 lives

[Reading, UK and Boston, US] Convatec Group Plc is pleased to announce a new three-year partnership with Partners In Health (PIH), an international NGO that works to build equitable health systems in communities most in need. This health innovation partnership will initially focus on enhancing care for underserved communities in Mexico, Peru and the United States, improving 250,000 lives as a result.

The partnership will enable PIH to explore innovative methods for training and deploying over 1,000 Community Health Workers (CHWs) to enhance management of chronic conditions. Living in the communities where they work, Community Health Workers are trusted neighbours who are able to provide high-quality health services, including home visits. Convatec will support the partnership with a $2 million commitment to PIH, as well as additional support through product donation and in-kind support such as trainings and consultations. This will help PIH evaluate the impact of its interventions, identifying insights to strengthen CHW models and support wider implementation of them.

The partnership will support programmes to improve care for communities in three regions, each of which currently lacks sufficient access to high-quality healthcare services and support:

• Lima (Peru) – an innovative pilot programme to improve care for people with chronic mental health disorders by equipping a specialised cadre of mental health CHWs. The activity will incorporate new digital solutions for rapid community mental health screening and CHW support
• North Carolina (U.S.) – an initiative to support a network of CHWs to improve care for chronic conditions in a state where 13% of the population lives in poverty. The tools created to support CHWs will also be shared with PIH partners in three other states
• Chiapas (Mexico) – a programme to improve access to healthcare in a state where 76% of the population lives in poverty and the number of people with chronic conditions is growing. PIH will conduct a survey to identify people who need help and train a cadre of CHWs who connect them to the healthcare system.

Not only will this innovative partnership improve care within these communities, PIH – as a founding member of the Community Health Impact Coalition (CHIC) – will share the subsequent learning, tools and research with CHIC partners, who support over 35,000 CHWs around the world.

As part of the partnership, Convatec will donate products to support other PIH-supported sites, including programmes in Haiti, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and our Medical and Clinical Affairs teams will support clinical education for PIH.

The partnership is Convatec’s latest step to deliver its forever caring promise and its commitment to supporting communities (one of four pillars in the company’s Convatec Cares Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework).

Commenting on the collaboration, Karim Bitar, CEO, Convatec said:

“Partners In Health does important work in communities to close the care gap and ensure access to quality healthcare. This partnership will help PIH reach and support more people living with chronic conditions, enhancing care as a result. We feel privileged to be working with them and look forward to a productive partnership that improves hundreds of thousands of lives over the coming years.”

Partners In Health CEO, Dr. Shiela Davis, said:

“We’re grateful for Convatec’s partnership to improve training and support for community health workers. Community health workers—a powerful force of care, connection, and support for patients—are essential to building robust and more equitable health systems.” 

About Convatec

Pioneering trusted medical solutions to improve the lives we touch: Convatec is a global medical products and technologies company, focused on solutions for the management of chronic conditions, with leading positions in advanced wound care, ostomy care, continence and critical care, and infusion care. With around 10,000 colleagues, we provide our products and services in almost 100 countries, united by a promise to be forever caring. Our solutions provide a range of benefits, from infection prevention and protection of at-risk skin, to improved patient outcomes and reduced care costs. Group revenues in 2022 were over $2 billion. The company is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index (LSE:CTEC). To learn more about Convatec, please visit http://www.convatecgroup.com

About Partners In Health

Striving to make health a human right for all people: Partners In Health (PIH) is a non-profit, social justice organisation that has been operating globally for over 30 years and improves health care for over 8 million people each year. PIH focuses on developing comprehensive models of health care for underserved communities in 11 countries around the world. Knowing that 50% of people across the globe lack access to essential health care, PIH works hand-in-hand with our partners at the community, local, and global levels to prove that transformational, comprehensive global health care delivery is possible. To learn more about Partners In Health, please visit https://www.pih.org/

Media/enquiries: esg@convatec.com