November 15, 2013 - ZOLL Foundation Established
MEDIA CONTACT: |
Diane Egan |
ZOLL FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED
Will Support Resuscitation and Acute Critical Care Research and Educational Activities with a Focus on New Investigations
November 15, 2013—CHELMSFORD, MASS.—ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today the establishment of the ZOLL Foundation, an independent entity organized for scientific and educational purposes. The Foundation will provide grants to support research, education, and public awareness related to improving resuscitation practices, preventing patient deterioration associated with cardiac arrest and morbidity, and enhancing the care of acute patients to reduce mortality and morbidity. It will focus on small seed grants for new investigators starting on the path of resuscitation and acute critical care research, areas where there is a significant gap between need and the availability of funding. It will solicit proposals related to these areas from qualified individuals and organizations with interests in these fields.
Sudden cardiac arrest remains a leading killer of nearly a million people a year worldwide. Most die unexpectedly and without any known risk. Survival on average is low at 5-7%. In communities and settings with CPR training, AED availability, therapeutic hypothermia, and programs fostering improvements in resuscitation practices, as many as half of all victims can survive. Use of wearable defibrillators in at-risk populations has increased survival to over 90% in what otherwise would most likely be a fatal arrhythmia event.
The ZOLL Foundation will operate within the express meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as Amended, and Section 4 of Chapter 180 of the Massachusetts General Laws as Amended. The ZOLL Foundation is applying for Recognition for Exemption to the Internal Revenue Service, which, if approved, will allow individual tax-deductible charitable donations to the Foundation.
“ZOLL wanted to create a separate nonprofit entity to promote early research in the fields of resuscitation and acute critical care, as well as prevention and education initiatives that are less aligned with commercial success. Stimulating new insights and approaches to the problem of sudden cardiac arrest will lead to ways of improving outcomes,” said Richard A. Packer, Chief Executive Officer of ZOLL. “We believe there are many clinical investigators who can be encouraged to focus their skills and talents on this major public health problem through the availability of modest grants to stimulate research. It is our hope that the Foundation’s seed money will attract new and young investigators to the field and will spur larger initiatives and attract other research support.”
While ZOLL Medical Corporation will continue, as it has over its history, to invest in research in defibrillation, waveforms, external pacing, wearable defibrillators, and therapeutic hypothermia, it believes that this separate Foundation can add to more basic knowledge in these and related fields. The Foundation website, www.zollfoundation.org, has a full description of the Foundation, the process for submitting grant applications, and will provide a report on awarded grants.
About ZOLL Medical Corporation
ZOLL Medical Corporation, an Asahi Kasei Group company, develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and monitoring, circulation and CPR feedback, data management, fluid resuscitation, and therapeutic temperature management, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, and lay rescuers treat victims needing resuscitation and acute critical care. For more information, visit www.zoll.com.
About Asahi Kasei
The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the chemicals and fibers, homes and construction materials, electronics, and health care business sectors. Its health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals, diagnostic reagents, and nutritional products. With more than 29,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/.
Copyright © 2013 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. ZOLL is a registered trademark of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Asahi Kasei is a registered trademark of Asahi Kasei Corporation. All product names are the property of their respective owners.