GlaxoSmithKline Expands IMPACT Awards in Triad

GlaxoSmithKline Expands IMPACT Awards in Triad

March 22, 2012 | Keri Brown

The growing number of uninsured North Carolinians and cuts in healthcare programs are putting a strain on many non-profits in the state that serve the needs of local communities.

But pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline and the Triangle Community Foundation are seeking applications for the IMPACT Awards program, which helps healthcare-related non-profits expand their current outreach.

This is the fourth year the GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards have been offered in North Carolina. Eleven counties are participating, but the program is expanding to include non-profits in Forsyth, Guilford and Randolph Counties.

Mary Linda Andrews, Director of Community Partnerships at GlaxoSmithKline, said up to ten groups will receive $40,000 each to better serve people facing healthcare disparities.

“We also provide communication support to help them share their stories. Past winners have told us it helps raise both public and policy awareness of the issues that they are dealing with - and they can become aware of other non-profits in the region to which they can refer their patients with special needs. If they don’t cover something like drug and alcohol abuse, they can always refer them to another winner that they have learned about. But most importantly, they use the IMPACT Award to expand their current outreach or to implement a pilot program,” said Andrews.

Some of the organizations in the state that have received the awards in the past include the Therapeutic Riding Center in Alamance County and the National Society to Prevent Blindness.

The application deadline for the GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards is March 28. The winning non-profits will be recognized at an awards ceremony at the Triangle Research Park at the GlaxoSmithKline headquarters in December.

More information is at www.gskimpact-us.com.