Almost from our very beginning—starting with the Great Galveston Hurricane in 1900—Johnson & Johnson has been there to help people suffering in times of great calamity with emergency aid, financial assistance and, of course, our thoughts and prayers.
Today, in Texas, is one of those times.
Our Credo is a constant reminder of the responsibility we have to our customers, employees and to the communities in which we work and live—especially in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, when the scope of human tragedy is so great.
How can you not be moved by the imagery we’re seeing of destruction and dangerous waters destroying neighborhood after neighborhood? Our hearts break for the thousands of people—perhaps tens of thousands—left with almost nothing but the clothes on their backs.
I think most of us are asking ourselves, “Well, how can I help?”
Our company founder, Robert Wood Johnson, always believed that Johnson & Johnson’s products must be made available in great crises. So we’re following his lead once again by working with three key partners already on the ground in Texas: AmeriCares, which is providing medicine and medical assistance to emergency shelters; Heart to Heart International, Inc., an organization that is deploying a mobile medical unit and supplies; and Save the Children, our global partner dedicated to children’s health and well-being.
AmeriCares and Heart to Heart have both begun distributing 25,000 Johnson & Johnson hygiene kits stocked with soap, shampoo, toothpaste and other personal care items to emergency shelters and aid distribution centers.
Together we can provide the kind of aid and assistance that is so important in these life and death situations.
We also have our DePuy Synthes regional trauma teams on the ground and working around the clock to identify specific and timely customer needs throughout the region. And our customer and logistics services and supply chain teams are on hand to ensure a reliable supply of our products.
We are also in constant contact with—and providing support to—the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—two government agencies with whom we have forged very strong partnerships.
Together we can make a difference in the ability of all of these organizations to provide the kind of aid and assistance that is so important in these life and death situations.
As deadly waters rose, volunteers have gassed up their fishing boats, leapt on their jet skis and pulled out kayaks—all to reach thousands of people trapped on roofs, in homes and in cars, representing the best of the human spirit.
It will take many months to recover, but Texas—a proud state known for its determination and strength—will survive this disaster.
And we want to help them in every way we can. That’s what we’re built for—that’s the legacy of caring Johnson & Johnson has built over the past 131 years.
