Ovations, a UnitedHealth Group company, today announced a global partnership to address the growing epidemic of chronic disease. Ovations is partnering with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Oxford Health Alliance and health care experts from around the world to develop specific strategies to address this critical public health issue in concert with governments, non-governmental organisations and the private sector globally.
The focus of the initiative will include:
- raising awareness of chronic disease and the potential global impact;
- developing, implementing and sharing best practices on preventing and managing chronic illnesses at the local level; and
- building systems and infrastructure to address chronic disease that could also be used to manage other diseases more effectively and sustainably.
Ovations will work with governments, non-governmental organisations, non-profit groups, individuals and private companies to expand and accelerate effective and practical programmes that support the initiative’s goals. As part of UnitedHealth Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme, Ovations is committing up to $15 million in financial, managerial and in-kind resources over the next five years in support of the programme, which is being developed in conjunction with the Clinton Global Initiative.
The Company has assembled a Global Advisory Board of leading health care experts to provide strategic direction and guidance for the programme. Chaired by Dr Richard Smith, chief executive officer of UnitedHealth Europe and former editor of the British Medical Journal, the Advisory Board includes:
- Sir George A.O. Alleyne, Pan American Health Organization – Regional Office of the WHO
- Dr Julio Frenk, The Gates Foundation
- Dr Roger I. Glass, director of the NIH’s Fogarty International Center and associate director for the organisation’s international programmes
- Dr Lauren Leroy, Grantmakers in Health
- Dr Liming Li, vice president, Chinese Academy of Medical Science/Peking Union Medical College
- Dr John Mach, chief executive officer, Evercare Health Care
- Dr Stephen MacMahon, principal director, University of Sydney, George Institute
- Dr Victor Matsudo, president, Physical Fitness Research Center of São Caetano do Sul – CELAFISCS, and the founder of Agita Mundo, an international organisation dedicated to the promotion of physical activity
- Dr Bongani Mayosi, University of Cape Town
- Dr K. Srinath Reddy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences
- Dr Nizal Sarrafzadegan, director, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center
- Marcia Smith, former chief executive officer, Evercare Health Care
- Dr Derek Yach, member of the board of the Oxford Health Alliance; director, Global Health Policy for PepsiCo; advisor to the Clinton Global Initiative; and former executive director of non-communicable diseases at the World Health Organization.
Source: Ovations Press Release, 4 May 2007.