DUBLIN, IRELAND / ACCESSWIRE / August 31, 2023 / Alkermes plc (Nasdaq:ALKS) today announced the recipients of the 2023 Alkermes Inspiration Grants® program. Grants were awarded to 11 nonprofit organizations working to address the needs of people living with addiction, serious mental illness or cancer. The selected programs are also focused on addressing unmet needs in historically under-resourced or underrepresented communities with longstanding and widespread health disparities.
"At Alkermes, we have come to appreciate that medicines, no matter how innovative, are only one component of comprehensive care. We created the Alkermes Inspiration Grants program to support a broad spectrum of innovative approaches to addressing educational gaps and supporting the needs of people living with serious chronic diseases, as well as their caregivers and family members. This year's recipients have shown the potential, through unique and meaningful ways, to positively impact diverse communities across the United States," said Richard Pops, Chief Executive Officer of Alkermes.
Nearly 200 applications were submitted for this highly competitive program. Submissions were evaluated based on a set of criteria outlined in the request for proposals, including clearly defined needs, objectives, activity format, mode of delivery and intended audience, and relevance to historically under-resourced or underrepresented communities. Grant recipients were selected by a committee that included senior leaders from Alkermes and individuals from outside the organization chosen to represent the perspectives of people with lived experience, caregivers and patient advocates.
Since 2016, the Alkermes Inspiration Grants program has awarded more than $5 million in funding to innovative programs that support the needs of those impacted by serious diseases in our areas of focus. For more information on the Alkermes Inspiration Grants program, please visit https://www.alkermes.com/responsibility/alkermes-inspiration-grants.
2023 Grant Recipient Organizations and Programs:
The 12-24 Club's Fresh Start Cafe Job Training Program offers employment in the Fresh Start Cafe kitchen. Participants will learn restaurant and food service industry skills, to be dependable team members and to provide customer service while advancing their recovery and healing their mental and emotional health. As part of the program, employees become members of recovery groups, are sponsored and sponsor others, attend meetings regularly, and serve as ambassadors for the 12-24 Club's recovery environment.
The American Psychiatric Association Foundation's (APAF) Caregivers' Mental Wellness Support Project will leverage a network of psychiatrists, corporate executives and community leaders to raise awareness of the impact that caring for people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders has on the mental well-being of family caregivers. This includes developing and disseminating self-assessment resources to caregivers and tools for those interacting with caregivers in the workplace and community.
Cancer Legal Care will assist Minnesotans facing ovarian cancer and their loved ones by partnering with key ovarian cancer community groups and providers to focus on outreach, community education and the provision of free, direct legal services to increase clients' quality of life and help mitigate the financial stress often associated with ovarian cancer.
Caregiver Action Network will develop culturally appropriate content and messaging for diverse family caregivers of teens with serious mental illness and use that content to expand their existing resource: Blueprint for Families of Loved Ones with Mental Health Issues.
The Council of State Governments Justice Center will expand its community-led First Response Self-Assessment Tool, a product previously funded through Alkermes Inspiration Grants, to Spanish-speaking communities. Community response programs are designed to improve outcomes for people in need, including people with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders, by reducing police contact and increasing connections to care for these underrepresented communities.
Foundation for Women's Cancer (FWC) will expand the reach and frequency of MoveTheMessage, a national campaign designed to motivate high-risk and historically marginalized communities to take preventive action against the five gynecologic cancers by increasing awareness through dissemination of FWC educational resources and understanding the needs of those at risk for ovarian, cervical, vulvar, vaginal and endometrial cancer.
NAMI Mobile (Alabama) will expand the use of virtual reality headsets to offer a first-person immersive experience used in the training of law enforcement to improve their ability to safely and empathically deal with individuals with mental illness who are in crisis. The headsets will allow officers to experience some of the distress individuals feel when in crisis, thus equipping them to choose appropriate de-escalation skills.
Ohio Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation aims to equip employers in Ohio with the necessary resources to address the opioid epidemic in the workplace. Employers will receive guidance on identifying and responding appropriately to opioid addiction, as well as addressing mental health and emergency response issues in the workplace. By empowering employers to tackle the opioid crisis, the program aims to create healthier workplaces and contribute to the overall well-being of employees and communities.
Ovations for the Cure will expand its Helping Hands Program, which provides meals to support the regaining of strength loss that occurs in chemotherapy for women undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer. The grant will be used to support women and their families during these times of significant stress by decreasing the burden of planning, grocery shopping and preparation of healthy meals.
The Recovery Community Network (RCN) will provide a peer recovery specialist to work with Camino Contigo to identify individuals living with addiction and provide peer support. Camino Contigo (Spanish for "walk with you") is a support group for Hispanics in the community with mental health concerns, helping them better understand their concerns while connecting them to available resources.
She Recovers Foundation will reach, educate and inspire diverse women ages 18-35 who are experiencing mental health issues, trauma and substance use. The grant will be used to create opportunities for women to develop their own holistic recovery patchworks, share their experience with other young women, and celebrate success.
About Alkermes plc
Alkermes plc is a fully-integrated, global biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines in the fields of neuroscience and oncology. The company has a portfolio of proprietary commercial products focused on alcohol dependence, opioid dependence, schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder, and a pipeline of product candidates in development for neurological disorders and cancer. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Alkermes has a research and development center in Waltham, Massachusetts; a research and manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland; and a manufacturing facility in Wilmington, Ohio. For more information, please visit Alkermes' website at www.alkermes.com.
ALKERMES INSPIRATION GRANTS® is a registered service mark of Alkermes, Inc.
Alkermes Contacts:
For Investors: Sandra Coombs, +1 781 609 6377
For Media: Gretchen Murphy, +1 781 609 6419
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SOURCE: Alkermes
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