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Airgas Provides Medical Oxygen Equipment to Haitian Relief Effort |
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Airgas Provides Medical Oxygen Equipment to Haitian Relief Effort
Supplies donated to Partners In Health in response to Haiti’s growing medical needs
RADNOR, PA – March 8, 2010 – Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), the largest U.S. distributor of specialty gases and equipment, has pledged its support to Partners In Health (PIH), an international health care organization that works in 12 countries to deliver quality health care to people and communities devastated by joint burdens of poverty and disease. Although PIH has served Haiti for more than 20 years with its medical and community programs, the group has realized an urgent need to help those affected by the earthquake on January 12, 2010.
Airgas has provided essential equipment to bring medical grade oxygen to hospitals in Haiti through PIH. The company donated 100 cylinders that will allow all of the nine hospitals supported by Zanmi Lasante in Haiti to store and refill supplies of medical oxygen. Airgas is also building an oxygen manifold that can link cylinders together to provide oxygen to multiple patients at a time.
Further, Airgas called on its partner, Essex Industries, to join them in donating 100 medical oxygen regulators. These invaluable pieces of equipment allow physicians to control the flow rate of oxygen when administering to patients.
“When the earthquake devastated Haiti, we immediately began looking for ways to get involved,” said Kelly Justice, senior vice president of Airgas Puritan Medical Division. “We are honored to help meet the medical needs of people who are displaced, injured, ill or otherwise affected by the earthquake.”
“The generous donation from Airgas will allow Partners In Health and Zanmi Lasante to continue to improve the level of care at our facilities. In particular, the donated cylinders will replace some of the older cylinders currently in use, improving safety standards,” said Kathryn Kempton, director of procurement at PIH. “This donation will not only provide immediate aid but will also help to strengthen the hospital infrastructure and raise the overall level of care at the facilities in which we work.”
To join Airgas in its commitment to the people of Haiti, please consider donating to Partners in Health. Visit StandWithHaiti.org.
About Airgas, Inc.
Based in Radnor, Pennsylvania, Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), through its subsidiaries, is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, and hardgoods, such as welding equipment and supplies. Airgas is also one of the largest U.S. distributors of safety
products, the largest U.S. producer of nitrous oxide and dry ice, the largest liquid carbon dioxide producer in the Southeast, the fifth largest producer of atmospheric merchant gases in North America, and a leading distributor of process chemicals, refrigerants, and ammonia products. More than 14,000 employees work in over 1,100 locations, including branches, retail stores, gas fill plants, specialty gas labs, production facilities, and distribution centers. Airgas also distributes its products and services through eBusiness, catalog, and telesales channels. Its national scale and strong local presence offer a competitive edge to its diversified customer base. For more information, please visit www.airgas.com.
About Partners In Health
Partners In Health (PIH), founded in 1987 by Dr. Paul Farmer, Ophelia Dahl, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, Todd McCormack, and Thomas J. White, is an international health care organization based in Boston that works in 12 countries to deliver quality health care to people and communities devastated by joint burdens of poverty and disease. PIH’s work has three goals: to care for patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease, and to share lessons learned around the world.
For more than 20 years, PIH has been providing vital health care services in Haiti’s Central Plateau and Artibonite Valley. Working alongside the Ministry of Health to serve a catchment area of 1.2 million people, PIH has become one of the largest health care providers in the country.
PIH had more than 100 doctors, 600 nurses and 4,000 employees on the ground in Haiti working from 12 existing PIH medical facilities in Haiti before the earthquake struck on January 12, 2010.
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For more information on Airgas, please visit .
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