[February 11, 2014]

AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation Awards $173,210 Grant to Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center

The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation's Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM program today announced a grant of $173,210 to the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center to support its Dial Down Diabetes program. This is the third consecutive year in which the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center has received a grant from the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, totaling $512,774.

Dial Down Diabetes is targeted toward African-Americans and Latinos with a goal of developing a comprehensive, culturally relevant community-based program for low-income adults with diagnosed diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes or prediabetes. The program is designed to enable patients to "dial down" the impact that diabetes has in their lives.

"The support through the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM program has allowed us to provide a concentration of services to our diabetic population," said Jeffrey McKissack, CEO, Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center. "Many of our adults are low-income, older and lack many resources. Through this partnership, Dial Down Diabetes has provided resources and created new collaborations that have extended our reach and improved our clinical outcomes. As a community health center, we appreciate the support of the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation to help us help those in the most need."

As a result of previous funding from the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, in 2013, the program provided case management through clinical staff which included access to nutrition education, exercise classes/education and support toward meeting clinical guidelines. The averag A1C value for 453 participants decreased from 9.4 to 8.1. In addition, at the start of the program, less than a quarter of these participants considered themselves healthy eaters and that measure increased to 61 percent by the end of the year.

"Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, and organizations like the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center are creating innovative programs to help prevent and decrease the associated risks with this devastating disease," said James W. Blasetto, M.D., MPH, FACC, chairman of the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation. "We are grateful to the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center for its commitment to improving heart health in their community."

The Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM program annually awards grants of $150,000 or more to U.S.-based nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving cardiovascular health in local communities. This year, the program awarded nearly $3.7 million in grants to 19 organizations. More than $14 million in grants have been awarded through the program since its inception in 2010.

Organizations can learn more and apply online for a Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM grant at www.astrazeneca-us.com/foundation. Applications must be submitted online no later than 5 p.m. EST on Feb. 27, 2014.

About Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center

Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center focused on serving the needs of residents in Middle Tennessee. Matthew Walker, a 501(c)(3) organization, strives to provide a comprehensive service model for those without insurance. The comprehensive model includes pediatrics, a pharmacy, behavioral health, dentistry, laboratory services, obstetrics and gynecology, and social services. Based on the patient's ability to pay, these services are discounted using a sliding discount fee scale. In 2012, over 71 percent of the 33,000 patients helped by Matthew Walker in its four clinic sites across Middle Tennessee providers were underinsured or uninsured. Learn more at www.mwchc.org.

About AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation

Established in 1993, the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation is a Delaware not-for-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) entity organized for charitable purposes, including to promote public awareness of healthcare issues, to promote public education of medical knowledge, and to support or contribute to charitable and qualified exempt organizations consistent with its charitable purpose. Connections for Cardiovascular Health^SM was launched in 2010 through a charitable contribution of $25 million from AstraZeneca.

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