The Cencora Impact Foundation and Cencora are members of the Americares Emergency Response Partners group, which provides key resources that allow us to maintain a response platform of medicines, supplies and people.
Cencora has been a dedicated Americares partner since 2005, providing both product donations and financial support. In 2017, the the Cencora Impact Foundation became a key strategic partner by joining the Americares Emergency Response Partner program and by providing foundational support for our U.S. behavioral health programming—aimed at building the capacity of local health centers to address the growing mental health crisis. Together, we are working to find creative solutions for how to incorporate mental health into the everyday care provided by vital frontline health workers whose patients are low-income, uninsured and on the margins of the health system.
Mental illness is a significant and widespread problem that affects an estimated 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. Yet more than five million adults have unmet mental health needs, primarily due to the high cost of care. The Cencora Impact Foundation is the catalytic and key partner in driving Americares work to build the capacity of the safety net sector to address mental health and substance use—building awareness and providing training in evidence-based approaches for screening and referral. To help combat our country’s opioid crisis, the Cencora Impact Foundation also donated over 500,000 drug disposal packets, which Americares distributed across the safety-net sector in 49 states. Untreated mental illness has significant personal, social, and economic costs. Through continued partnership with the Cencora Impact Foundation, Americares aims to ensure low-income Americans affected by behavioral health issues have access to the care they need to reach their full potential.
The Cencora Impact Foundation and Cencora are members of the Americares Emergency Response Partners group, which provides key resources that allow us to maintain a response platform of medicines, supplies and people. Thanks to the Cencora Impact Foundation, Cencora and the other members of the AERP, when disasters strike, Americares can launch robust responses at a moment’s notice, delivering critical medicines and emergency supplies virtually anywhere in the world. The Cencora Impact Foundation has also provided additional support for emergencies such as the Global COVID-19 Pandemic, Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Maria and the Nepal Earthquake, and has donated product in support of numerous emergencies including the COVID-19 Pandemic, California Wildfires, Hurricane Dorian, the Puerto Rico earthquakes, Hurricane Eta and others.
When a catastrophic explosion rocked the Beirut port in August 2020, there were widespread casualties and damage—including to six hospitals and over 20 local health centers. Included in the over $1 million in support Americares provided to its local partner were 4,700 packets of sanitary pads, donated by 13 different Cencora distribution centers. These were important supplies for female survivors, in particular those living in the area’s refugee camps where thousands of women and girls lack access to menstrual products. This prevents them from leading active lives at work or school and puts their health and hygiene at risk. Americares partner, Anera, couples the donated products with health and hygiene awareness sessions to encourage women and girls to become community influencers and peer advisors—promoting health and rights for all girls and women.