First Specimen Collection Training Curriculum in Sub-Saharan Africa Launches at Kenyan Medical Training College

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), today announced the launch of the Center for Excellence in Phlebotomy and Specimen Collection at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). KMTC, a department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, is establishing a phlebotomy course for training healthcare workers.

The collaboration aims to improve quality and safety of specimen collection by building the capacity of healthcare workers in Kenya. Through the establishment of the Center of Excellence in Phlebotomy and Specimen Collection within KMTC, the program will provide both pre-service and in-service training. Healthcare workers, including laboratory technologists, nurses and clinical officers, will be trained in the safe collection of blood and other specimens required for the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases. The Specimen Collection Training Program is an expansion of the Kenya Safer Blood Collection Initiative, a collaboration between PEPFAR and BD to improve blood collection practices in Kenya.

"Our collaboration with PEPFAR in Kenya has demonstrated that proper specimen collection practices help protect healthcare workers and ensure accurate diagnoses," said Gary Cohen, Executive Vice President, BD. "The establishment of a formal training program with the Kenya Medical Training College will ensure this training will continue on a consistent and sustainable basis."

BD and KMTC will work together to build capacity for diagnosis, management and monitoring of HIV and other diseases in Kenya. BD's donation will be valued at up to $125,000, and will help cover the costs of training faculty, curriculum development, training materials and equipment, and renovation of the first Center of Excellence in Phlebotomy and Specimen Collection within KMTC in Nairobi, Kenya.  BD will provide KMTC with modern training technologies, hands-on skills stations and also support curriculum development, content and capacity building at the facility. BD will also apply its expertise in providing training in occupational safety and key clinical and laboratory procedures, which are vital components of healthcare capacity building and sustainability. These trainings will help improve the safety of healthcare workers and patients, while helping to reduce needlestick injuries and the transmission of HIV, hepatitis and other bloodborne pathogens.

"In this era of HIV/AIDS, the opening of this Center of Excellence is a milestone towards the improvement of health worker safety and reduction of pre-analytical errors to ensure reliability of laboratory results," said Dr. Charles Onudi, Director, KMTC. 

"We are pleased to be able to support this collaboration and to provide linkages between the private sector and our partners in Kenya to combat HIV and other diseases that may transmitted through unsafe blood collection," said Katherine Perry, PEPFAR Coordinator in Kenya. "Blood safety is an important component of our PEPFAR strategy and the safety of the public and healthcare workers in both receiving and providing healthcare services is critical."

The Kenya Safer Blood Collection Initiative launched in June 2010 and is the first program to provide comprehensive training and education of safe blood-drawing practices to Kenyan healthcare workers.  In its first year, training occurred in eight facilities, that provides services for 60 percent of the Kenyan population.  During this time, BD, CDC and the Kenyan Ministry of Health trained more than 500 healthcare workers and 20 faculty members.  The program has since expanded to reach over 2,000 additional health workers in over 30 health facilities throughout the country.  Results to-date show greatly improved blood-drawing knowledge and skills, reductions in improper practices and higher levels of healthcare worker confidence.

About PEPFAR

The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the U.S. Government initiative to support partner nations around the world in responding to HIV/AIDS. It was launched in 2003, and is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease internationally in history. Through PEPFAR, the U.S. Gov­ernment has committed to bilateral HIV/AIDS programs, the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and bilateral TB programs. PEPFAR is the cornerstone and largest component of the President's Global Health Initiative. This Initiative supports partner countries in improving health outcomes through strengthened health systems, with a particular focus on improving the health of women, newborns and children through programs that address a range of health issues. For more information, please visit www.PEPFAR.gov, http://twitter.com/pepfar, or www.facebook.com/PEPFAR.

About BD

BD is a leading global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. The Company is dedicated to improving people's health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing research, discovery and production of new drugs and vaccines. BD's capabilities are instrumental in combating many of the world's most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD employs approximately 29,000 associates in more than 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. For more information, please visit www.bd.com.

About CDC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is America's premier health promotion, prevention, and preparedness agency and a global leader in public health. CDC is at the forefront of public health efforts to prevent and control infectious and chronic diseases, injuries, workplace hazards, disabilities, and environmental health threats. The agency is globally recognized for conducting research and investigations and for its action-oriented approach to public health. CDC's Division of Global HIV/AIDS provides critical leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS in resource-constrained countries by assisting partner governments to strengthen laboratory, epidemiology, surveillance, public health evaluation and workforce capacity-essential components for strong sustainable public health systems. For more information about CDC's work in Kenya, please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/kenya/ and http://www.twitter.com/cdckenya.

SOURCE BD-Becton Dickinson