Home  Responsibility In the community
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| Wherever AstraZeneca is located worldwide, we aim to make a positive contribution to our local communities through sponsorships, charitable donations and other initiatives that help to make a difference. |  | 
Our community activities focus on bringing sustainable benefit in ways that are consistent with our business of improving health and quality of life, and on promoting the value of science among young people.
We have a dedicated community support database that gathers global information centrally, enabling the sharing of information and best practice across the organisation and supporting accurate financial reporting of our overall spend in this area. The database also helps us to ensure that our efforts are aligned with our commitment to bring benefit mainly through healthcare and science education initiatives.
In 2007, we spent a total of $588 million on community sponsorships and charitable donations worldwide, including $518 million on product donations, valued at average wholesale prices. In 2006, our product donations totalled $443 million, down from $835 million the previous year. This decrease reflected the implementation of Medicare Part D in the US, a change that meant more people now have prescription drug coverage through the federal system. Already a leader in providing patient assistance in the US, AstraZeneca launched a new programme in November 2006 for those enrolled in Medicare Part D, but who still have financial difficulty affording their medicines. We also extended the reach of our US patient assistance programmes by expanding qualifying income levels during 2006. The financial commitment associated with these initiatives is reflected in our 2007 spend.
We also contribute where possible to disaster relief efforts. In 2007, funding from AstraZeneca provided support in the US to the on the ground efforts following the wildfires that swept through Southern California and to Greensburg, Kansas, after a deadly tornado hit that community. AstraZeneca in Mexico responded quickly when severe floods hit the south of the country, donating medicines and matching employee fund-raising efforts.
View more examples of our community and company projects worldwide. The content of this page was externally assured by Bureau Veritas, February 2008
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