Amgen Canada Inc. Donates $10,000 to the Patient Education Centre

Serving Patients through the Power of Education

ANNOUNCEMENT | January 6, 2010

Amgen is no stranger to the hallways of Burnaby Hospital. After all, Amgen’s Canadian research facility calls Burnaby its home, and is a leading-edge hub of innovation and discovery steering the way for better medical treatments. Some of these treatments have directly impacted the lives of many who suffer from illnesses such as cancer, kidney disease, osteoporosis, and serious inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and severe psoriasis.

Better therapeutic treatments help alleviate the physical stress and trauma one faces in battling these illnesses, but Burnaby Hospital Foundation and Amgen believe that it is health education that has the transformative power to alleviate the psychological stress faced by many patients and families dealing with illness.

When the idea was first conceived to build a Patient Education Centre - a one-stop shop where patients, health-care professionals, and the public could gain access to health care information - Amgen was quick to see its potential, generously contributing $10,000 to help make the project a reality.

“Burnaby Hospital’s Patient Education Centre is a natural fit with our mission to serve patients,” said Jim Favaro, Senior Manager of Government Affairs & Corporate Accounts with Amgen. “It’s empowering for patients to have current information that can help them understand their condition. Being an informed patient is important in taking an active role in your health care.”

But, this is only one example of how Amgen is giving back to its community by supporting health education. At the national and local level, Amgen also supports community projects such as the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence and the “Gee! In Genome” project currently at the TELUS World of Science. Both projects focus on nurturing the young minds of tomorrow’s innovators, who will contribute to the discovery of new medical treatments that will improve the health and well-being of patients dealing with serious illnesses.

“From young scientists to those who might be afflicted with disease, education benefits society,” shares John Babcook, Principal Scientist with Amgen in BC. “Here in Burnaby, our research facility works continuously to do more to serve patients, and it only makes sense to support the Patient Education Centre and Burnaby Hospital in striving to do the same.”

This year, Burnaby Hospital Foundation is raising $112,000 towards the building of a volunteer-operated Patient Education Centre in Burnaby Hospital. Opening its doors in Spring 2010, the Centre will be an educational resource for the community, providing access to brochures, resource materials, computer workstations, and health related videos.