Coronavirus: new funds from the Chiesi Group for employees, patients and healthcare professionals
Rome, March 27. (Adnkronos/Labitalia) – Chiesi Farmaceutici, an international group focused on research (Chiesi Group), today announced new measures in response to the current Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, the Group is committed to supporting the response to the coronavirus by setting up a fund dedicated to donations in Italy for a total of 3 million euros.
The working groups specialized in emergency management at corporate level and in the branches constantly monitor, from the first moment in which the emergency was declared, the progress of the Covid-19 epidemic and have adopted containment measures to ensure the continuous supply of medicines in all countries where 
are distributed and measures to support the health and well-being of employees, patients and partners. Following the ministerial decree published by the Italian government on March 22, which blocked the production of all non-essential goods, the Chiesi Group wants to reassure that the production of all its medicines continues unabated in the production sites both in Italy and abroad. abroad, guaranteeing the same high quality standards.
At this time, the transport and delivery of medicines continues as planned and all production facilities are active, as are research and development activities in the numerous research and development sites globally Despite the moment of profound uncertainty, the Group Chiesi continues to strongly uphold its values. Since last February, the team dedicated to emergency management has been involved on a daily basis in implementing actions in compliance with the health and safety of all employees, based on the indications provided by the institutions and by the World Health Organization and basing on 3 main pillars: protection, sharing and training.
The company has identified the essential collaborators to ensure the continuity of its operations whose physical presence is essential on site, and ensured the technological equipment necessary to ensure that everyone else works from home by applying overtime smart working policies now extended to all business functions. Rigorous processes have been implemented to protect their health for colleagues who travel to the company every day, including social distancing and new hygiene protocols in addition to existing routine processes. To further support these colleagues, who with their commitment and dedication ensure the normal running of all operations, the company has decided on a salary increase of 25% paid for the entire duration of the emergency. Furthermore, a dedicated insurance policy is active for medical expenses in addition to the existing one to support employees in the unfortunate case of contagion from Covid-19.
The company has also set up a dedicated toll-free helpline with expert psychologists available 24 hours a day every day, available to all employees. All these measures in favor of the well-being and health of employees involve an investment expected to date of approximately one million euro. As a benefit corporation, the Chiesi Group has in its business objectives that of having a positive impact on society. The Chiesi Group and its global subsidiaries have already taken steps to set up some donations to support patients, institutions and healthcare professionals. Today the Group announces that it has set up a fund dedicated to the Italian territory of 3 million euros to be allocated to further initiatives which include the donation of personal protective equipment, ventilators and sanitizing gel following specific requests from hospitals and institutions.
In addition to this fund, direct donations of medicines for respiratory diseases to hospitals in difficulty have been made in China and Italy. Italian employees also had the opportunity to donate 'virtual' working hours to a Parma-based voluntary association active in emergency support. The company converted the donated working hours into monetary donation and the total value was then doubled by the Chiesi Group. In two weeks the total amount raised is around 70,000 euros.
“Our constant commitment – he comments Hugh DiFrancesco, CEO Chiesi Group – has a specific focus on improving the quality of life of our patients and collaborators. At Chiesi we put people at the center of our actions to protect the health and well-being of our employees, patients and partners. This is the spirit in which we make all our decisions. With this in mind, our priority is to guarantee the production and supply of life-saving medicines to hospitals, doctors and patients who rely on our medicines every day". “As a pharmaceutical company, we are also making our experience, resources and materials available to support healthcare professionals globally and are looking for ways to increase our ability to do so as the situation evolves.
We continue to work with all of our partners and local, national or regional authorities around the world to ensure we can support them to the best of our ability." “We are honored – says Alberto Chiesi, president of the Chiesi Group – as a Chiesi group, to be able to do our part in response to the crisis caused by the pandemic. In Italy we are facing what can only be described as a nationwide emergency. We are ramping up our efforts to protect our employees and patients at this time, they have always been and will remain our first priority. I am deeply proud of the daily commitment shown by our employees in this difficult moment and I would like to extend my personal thanks to all of them”.
To date, support and donations include: Chiesi Farmaceutici joining the Benessere Italia control room of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers has donated 50,000 bottles to public transport operators, personal protective equipment for hospitals and doctors in the province of Parma, ventilators for hospitals in the province of Brescia, and collaborates directly with general practitioners to support healthcare activities.
In addition, collaboration with GP associations on advice and guidance, providing support for the purchase of respiratory equipment in hospitals supporting patients affected by Covid-19. And partnerships with local voluntary associations to offer donations in cash or materials and constant support to identify new areas of intervention.
For more information you can click on https://www.chiesi.com/coronavirus/.
