From Imani Davis, Rutgers University Corporate Social Responsibility Fellow

As part of my responsibility as the Corporate Social Responsibility Fellow, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. this past October for the 13th annual Alliance Building & Training Session (ABTS)— a professional development and networking opportunity that brought together all Bridge to Employment (BTE) programs. Johnson & Johnson established the BTE program to help young people build solid futures by introducing them to a broad array of careers in health care.

This session allowed partners from around the world to share best practices as well as plan the next steps of their respective programs. The session also allowed interaction between students, mentors, school administrators, and corporate partners.

At this conference, I served two roles: student ambassador chaperone, which allowed me to work with a student group on their case study (they won best overall presentation, by the way!), and “roving” reporter, which allowed me to interview partners within every role of the BTE program; these interviews gave great insight from a variety of perspectives on how BTE impacted not only students’ lives, but also left a great impression on the mentors, administrators, and staff that worked with students.

This impression was also imparted on me. While playing the role of reporter was a fantastic experience, I really enjoyed working with and helping students with their case studies. Their energy and eagerness to learn were super inspiring and kept me enthused through a jam-packed conference schedule. While I was happy to have helped them with their presentation, I was also grateful for the opportunity to meet young people who will surely be our future leaders, and hear first-hand how BTE has shaped their college and career interests.

To hear it in their own words, check out the videos I shot below:

I just had a chance to go through some of the online chatter about the announcement last week of the new Text4Baby mobile phone service that provides useful information for new and expectant moms. There are some more details on what this service means on the JNJ.com website (Johnson & Johnson is one of the founding sponsors) as well as on JNJBTW and BabyCenter, but I thought I would highlight a few of the posts I came across:

1) MobiHealthNews provides a snapshot of how mobile services are being used around the world to improve health literacy, highlighting a presentation made by Paul Meyer, co-founder, president and chairman of Voxiva, at a meeting last week in Nashville:

“Although there is a perception that everyone is on in Internet, only 31 percent of the population making less than $35,000 a year has broadband. Meyer pointed out that while only 51 percent of people with chronic illness have Internet access, 90 percent of Americans have mobile phones and 1 trillion text messages were sent last year.”

2) The Spohrs are Multiplying provides a personal perspective on the importance of quality care and information in ensuring healthy moms and babies:

“Information is power as they say, and this is rarely ever more true than when pregnant. An expecting mother who is informed about how to be healthy when pregnant greatly improves her chances of having a healthy baby.”

3) Ivy’s PPD blog highlights the kinds of messages distributed through Text4Baby, including support from Postpartum Support International:

“Yes, that’s right. PSI is an outreach partner of text4baby, which means that texts related to mom’s mental health will connect women to PSI resources. This ground-breaking inclusion of mental health messages in this program will help reduce stigma around, minimize risk for, and increase awareness about perinatal mood disorders.”

And of course, our own Margaret Gurowitz provided an historical perspective on Johnson & Johnson’s efforts to provide information for new and expectant moms on her KilmerHouse blog.

When my son Alex was small, his baby sitter told us of a horrible personal tragedy that befell her young niece. This seemingly healthy young woman died in childbirth. As the details of the tragedy came to light it became apparent to me – and the family — that with proper prenatal care, the outcome may have been different. 

Earlier today, the White House announced the launch of a new public health initiative, text4baby  – the US’s first-ever free mobile health service that provides timely and expert health information through SMS text messages for pregnant women and new moms. Simply by texting “BABY” to 511411 (or “BEBE” for Spanish language services) women can receive three free SMS text messages each week timed to their due date or to the baby’s date of birth that provide a wealth of information about the health of both mother and baby through the baby’s first year. 

According to a release issued by the White House the infant mortality rate in the US is one of the highest in the industrialized world – each year, about 500,000 babies are born prematurely and an estimated 28,000 children die before their first birthday.  This new text service is one effort to help address this situation.

Johnson & Johnson is one of the founding sponsors of this initiative, and there is a fascinating story showing how this service can benefit a first-time mother on our corporate website. In addition, BabyCenter, one of our operating companies and a development partner in creating the text4baby content in English and Spanish, has some useful information and great tips for new and expectant moms on its site.

I’m a great believer in the way in which access to useful information can help improve health outcomes.  Text4baby hopefully will help underserved moms and expectant moms gain access to knowledge that can improve address the issues of mother and baby health in the US.

UPDATE: Margaret has an interesting history of Johnson & Johnson’s role in providing information for moms and expectant moms over at Kilmer House.

As I’ve watched the images of devastation and human suffering in Haiti unfold over the past few days, I’ve been asking myself – what can I do to help? There are, after all, many different charitable organizations out there doing good work, but which ones should I contribute to? Is it better to contribute money to get people the help, supplies and medical attention that they need immediately and in the longer term, or to contribute to clothing and food drives being organized. Many disaster experts recommend donating money versus supplies during early relief efforts because supplies may not arrive, may disrupt the local economy, and may not be culturally appropriate.

Like many other organizations, Johnson & Johnson is sending aid in the form of cash as well as needed health care products. For instance, a note went out to employees yesterday morning explaining that as a starting point, four Johnson & Johnson disaster relief modules with large quantities of consumer and over-the-counter products have been shipped. The company has also provided employees with a means to contribute to charitable organizations that my colleagues in the corporate contributions group feel have a good track record of providing the support and help in times of such emergencies. For Johnson & Johnson employees in the U.S., contributions made to these organizations will be matched by the corporation.

While the company won’t match such gifts for non-employees, looking over the list, I couldn’t help but think that others looking for some guidance may find such a list of these organizations a good place to turn. Of course, this is not to say that other charities and organizations that aren’t included on this list also aren’t worthy causes and won’t contribute in a significant way to the relief effort, but I nonetheless felt that it may be a useful list to share. Below are some of the organizations we are supporting

AmeriCares
Catholic Medical Mission Board
Direct Relief International
Esperanza International
Heart to Heart
Hospital Albert Schweitzer (Pittsburgh)
Medical Teams International
Partners In Health
SIGN

January is National Blood Donor month. Although there are many committed blood donors like this man who traveled though harsh winter weather to donate his 160th pint of blood, donations are typically lower this time of year. I wanted to share the reasons why I donate blood and encourage you to donate, too.

I started donating blood about 15 years ago. I was recruited by a member of the New Jersey Blood Services. The New Jersey Blood Services has been fulfilling its commitment to the people of New Jersey by supplying blood products and services with quality and compassion. They serve approximately 60 New Jersey hospitals and conduct blood drives on a daily basis in 14 New Jersey counties. I have always been mindful of what a blessed life my family and I lead, and felt that this was my way of helping others; doing my part to make a difference. 

Your chances of knowing someone who will need a donation is huge. A few years ago my good friend Elisabeth got the great news from her son on becoming a grandparent for the first time of twins. Unfortunately, the twins were born prematurely and barely weighing 2 pounds. They faced many medical obstacles and were in need of blood donations. I immediately volunteered to donate and am happy to report that 7 years later they are thriving. I feel a special connection to those two beautiful children and am grateful that I could help out. There is no better feeling and sense of self when helping others.

Some statistics from the Mayo Clinic indicate:

• That only 5 percent of eligible donors donate blood.
• Whole blood donors can donate every 56 days.
• 25 percent or more of us will need blood at least once in our lifetime.
• Each whole blood donation can help as many as three people.

Imagine that — helping three people with one pint of your blood. Be it a child, teen or adult someone may live another day with your simple act of donating blood.

The procedure to donate is an easy one — to start you fill out a form which includes your name, age, address and personal pertinent information. The next step a nurse takes your vital signs, temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and pricks your finger to check your iron level. If everything checks out you are then ready to donate. A phlebotomist administers the needle and in less than 30 minutes you donate a pint of blood. It’s as easy as 1…2…3.

Here are some ways that your blood donation would be used. The donation is separated into 3 components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. Red blood cells are primarily used for cancer patients, hip replacements, liver transplants, anemic patients, ulcer patients and trauma victims. Platelets are used for cancer and leukemia patients. Plasma is mainly used for burn victims.

Like a lot of people I work with here, I feel we have a responsibility to the world community. I try to carry out many of those beliefs thorough volunteerism and blood donation. I am also a member of the Blood Committee at Johnson & Johnson. I am in charge of scheduling the volunteers to help at all our corporate drives, send reminder emails to donors before the drives and to help plan our annual Blood Donor Reception. The role of the volunteer is an important one –they welcome donors and help make their donation go as smoothly as possible.  At Johnson & Johnson we hold 5 drives a year at each of our three campuses. The blood committee meets after every drive and one of our functions is to brainstorm ways to increase donations throughout the year. We try to encourage our fellow employees, family, friends and members of the community to donate blood. 

In my mind, blood donation it is the easiest thing to do and the most rewarding – by donating blood you can save a life. I encourage everyone to roll up their sleeves and take part in donating blood.

Note from Marc Monseau: The following is the third — and final — post from my colleague Angela Chiu based on the time she spent volunteering in Africa earlier this year. As 2009 winds down, and as my family and I gear up to celebrate the holiday season, I thought Angela’s words provided a poignant take on what we can all gain by giving to others.

From Angela Chiu, Interactive Marketing Manager, Vistakon, Hong Kong

Some clips from the work conducted earlier this year:

29 July 2009, Kampala King’s School, outreach activities and distributing gifts

1 Aug 2009, Cherish classroom dedication ceremony

How long did your joy last after getting an iPhone? How happy were you when you acquired a Kindle or a 72-inch plasma TV?  We have almost forgotten the joy that we used to have when getting a toy car, a doll, or a basketball when we were small. Over time, especially when we start to accumulate some wealth, value becomes nothing more than an entry in the books. How much meaning does it still carry?

When I looked at the children we visited in Kampala King’s School, Uganda, they had very little compared to us. Their school uniforms were not ironed, their socks were loose and shoes were torn. They haven’t had one class photo since the school was established. But the joy that they expressed when receiving small things from us, like candies and balloons, was so tremendous that it went beyond anyone’s imagination. Who were we to deserve such excessive gratitude for only giving such a tiny token? 

We completed the classrooms as planned in Cherish, where HIV-positive children are taken care of and are educated. We had a classroom dedication ceremony there on a Saturday, followed by a party with the kids. We did a little performance for the kids, sang and danced with them, taught them how to twist balloons and make little bracelets. At the end, each of us was presented with a hand-drawn thank you card and a hand-made wooden heart as appreciation. Mine was given to me by a 2-year old boy, and my eyes were swamped with tears when he was stumbling towards me and then crowned me with that heart.  As one of my team members said, “My heart has just broken but I just got a new heart (the wooden one) just in time.”   

It left me wondering: who was there to give and who was there to take?

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (called COP15) is well underway in Copenhagen. We are a member of three leading climate partner groups attending COP15: World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Savers, The Climate Group and the United States Climate Action Program (USCAP) and are engaged with them in conversations at the conference. Cécile Astuguevieille from our EU-based Government Affairs and Policy group shares her impressions of the business summit:

The great engagement of the business into climate change policies highlighted the first day of meetings attended by Johnson & Johnson in Copenhagen. The Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change gathered business leaders from the construction, media, insurance sectors and the signatories of the Copenhagen Communiqué (which Johnson & Johnson endorsed) to debate on the low carbon economy and the policy priorities post Copenhagen. The companies reported on the various energy efficiency initiatives they have launched and on the use of renewable energy to significantly reduce their global GHG emissions.  The transition towards a low carbon economy is considered a challenge but also a great opportunity for the businesses to foster innovation and competitiveness.  It was also mentioned that complementary initiatives, such as taxation of energy, should be taken in addition to the cap-and–trade system for more effective climate change policies. A recurring theme of the debate was that very few barriers to the transition towards a low carbon economy remain, apart from the political will.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Climate Business Day was organized by the WWF Climate Savers group of companies (Johnson & Johnson is a member of Climate Savers). The debate focused on the engagement of financial and insurance sectors, both of which consider CO2 regulations a growing opportunity for investments. Climate change regulations could transform CO2 into a new global currency which will imply new potential for investment in innovative sectors. It was, however, emphasized that such incentives to innovation will be effective only if the global carbon market is built on clear rules that companies can rely on.

The important presence and visibility of companies from diverse sectors in Copenhagen and during the coming week confirm the transition towards a low carbon economy as the current biggest challenge that business is already engaged in. Also, everyone’s uncertainty regarding the outcome of the Summit appeared quite clearly today, and business hopes that a strong and binding agreement will be concluded on December 18^th.

While we are making strides against HIV/AIDS, there is so much more than can be done to save lives around the world. In developed countries we’ve been able to nearly eliminate the chance of babies being infected with HIV, but this isn’t the case for all babies born in many countries in Africa.

Anu Gupta, Director Corporate Contributions, Johnson & Johnson, spoke to Pat Farnack at WCBS 880 about what can be done to help prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV in African countries. Anu says that more than 1,000 babies are born with HIV every day, and many of those babies unfortunately will not live very long. Of those born with HIV/AIDS who remain untreated, 1/2 die by the time they are one year old, and 1/3 of those remaining before their second birthday. The tragedy is that these deaths are completely preventable, because it is possible to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the disease in the first place. 

Moms around the world need to have access to the necessary treatments that can prevent them from spreading HIV to their babies. Anu explained that to help with this, Johnson & Johnson partners with different aid organizations and community groups such as mothers2mothers who know the best ways to reach these mothers. 

You can listen to the interview or download the podcast here – and if you’d like to read more about mothers2mothers, there’s actually an earlier post on JNJBTW about one of the co-founders of mothers2mothers, Robin Smalley, here.

It can be hard to imagine how one person can make a significant difference against something as devastating as HIV/AIDS. As part of an event to commemorate World AIDS Day at our corporate headquarters, I saw a few clips from the documentary A Ripple in the Water: Healing Through Art. I was moved by the story of Kim Berman, an artist and activist who founded the Artist Proof Studio in post-apartheid South Africa to encourage artists and printmakers to develop their artistic skills while also promoting leadership and social change. Through the Artist Proof Studio, Kim has developed programs to use art as a way to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and help alleviate poverty.

Inspired by an ancient Japanese custom of offering painted strips of paper as prayers for healing, the Artist Proof Studio runs an outreach program called the Paper Prayers campaign. The program teaches people to make pieces of art for healing and remembrance, while also raising awareness about HIV/AIDS in urban and rural areas around South Africa.

Embroidery and papermaking provide a vehicle for expression while also enabling women affected by HIV/AIDS to develop products to generate income so they can take care of themselves and their families. Since papermaking is so labor-intensive, embroidery provides an opportunity for women who are sick and weakened by the disease to continue working to support themselves. What I found the most amazing was that these women who are living in poverty reach out into their communities and donate a percentage of their profits to hospice organizations and others. They also pull together to care for those in the community who are sick, and for children orphaned by the disease.  

By empowering women through art, Kim has helped people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS come together as a community to cope with the pandemic and lift themselves, and each other, out of seemingly impossible situations.

The ripple effect has extended to the U.S. as well. One of the film’s producers, Eileen Foti, an Assistant Professor at Montclair State University, talked with us about the impact of the film in New Jersey among schoolchildren for whom the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS and poverty are very real. The film, and a corresponding Paper Prayers project, opened up a dialogue and gave the students a chance to express themselves through art.

 Learn more about the documentary here.

From Angela Chiu, Interactive Marketing Manager, Vistakon, Hong Kong

30 July 2009, building classrooms at Cherish

Most days at Cherish, we laid bricks for an hour or so before we were invited to join their daily morning prayer session. The children were between 1 year old to 10 years old, and all were carrying lovely faces, some smiled, some giggled, some laughed, some jumped, some danced…they were so energetic and lively.  No one could tell they were actually HIV-infected. 

I had a chance to speak one-on-one with Rachael Parson, a full time childcare manager. She told me that the children being taken care of in Cherish seldom fall very sick. The virus inside their bodies has been well contained.  This is an amazing result, and it comes not only because of being given the right antiretroviral treatment but also a well-rounded diet fueled by the self-sustained organic farming at Cherish. Most important of all, it’s the living hope and love being provided to these children. At Cherish, these children are embraced with a promise of future hope. The strength of that love and hope goes so far, it is able to cure and enliven them. I think every one of us can imagine that hope is a crucial factor to save one’s life; no treatment or doctor can cure if a patient loses hope.

The energy of these children also enlivened us!  We were also given hope and meaning to carry on the building.  After the prayer session, our energy level and morale were boosted.  A team member shouted to the group, “Look at these kids, let’s get the classroom done!” Yes, let’s get the classroom done so that their future can be embraced.

This amazing experience reminds me Hope Lodge Project, where I find incredible spirit of the patients in spite of dealing with the challenges of cancer treatment.