AstraZeneca responds to White House PREPARE Call to Action to bolster community and health system resilience to climate change

AstraZeneca responds to White House PREPARE Call to Action to bolster community and health system resilience to climate change

AstraZeneca announced actions to bolster community and health system resilience to climate change through its flagship Healthy Heart Africa program. Pam Cheng, Executive Vice President of Global Operations & IT and Chief Sustainability Officer, shared AstraZeneca's response to the Call to Action issued under the President's Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) during a roundtable conversation hosted by US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power; White House Senior Advisor to the President John Podesta; and US International Development Finance Corporation CEO Scott Nathan.

In November 2022, former Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and USAID Administrator Power launched the PREPARE Call to Action to the Private Sector, calling on corporations to take new, major actions to expand goods and services for climate adaptation, build operational and supply chain resilience, and to make financial investments.

AstraZeneca will invest in strengthening health systems to address climate-induced health threats in nine African countries through Healthy Heart Africa, with a focus on heart and kidney diseases, which are exacerbated by extreme heat. This is the first time that the program, established in 2014, will specifically address climate-induced health threats across the continent. In collaboration with key partners, the expanded program will be operational across Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda by 2025.

Cheng said: "The climate crisis is a public health crisis, which is fueling a rise in disease around the world and placing our health systems under great strain. AstraZeneca is collaborating with partners to deliver more sustainable, resilient and equitable healthcare. A case in point is our Healthy Heart Africa program, which is now expanding to address the burden of heart and kidney diseases and help people across Africa live healthier lives."

For more information about the PREPARE Call to Action and AstraZeneca's response, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/climate/adaptation/prepare-call-to-action-update