CARY, N.C., Jan. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chiesi (key-ay-zee), a Cary-based pharmaceutical company, reflects on its team’s contributions in 2017 as part of the company’s Chiesi in the Community corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. During the 2017 calendar year, the company invested nearly $780,000 in corporate and employee donations in the local community. This is an increase of $253,600 in donations over the previous year. In addition, members of the Chiesi team were personally involved in many activities, providing about 1,150 hours of time to 81 community organizations.

Chiesi in the Community donates approximately $780,000 and provides about 1,150 hours of time to 81 community organizations in 2017.

“We founded our CSR program, Chiesi in the Community, in 2016 and have been pleased with the results of impact in our key areas and the engagement of our very own team,” said Ken McBean, President of Chiesi USA. “In addition to partnering with organizations that support the patients we serve, our team has benefitted greatly from becoming invested in their local communities.”

Through the program’s Keystone Initiative, Chiesi established an 18-month partnership with Charles R. Bugg Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh, N.C., working hand-in-hand on programs and events aimed at helping Bugg students become learners for life. The program focuses on areas such as science, nutrition, behavioral learning and physical activity. During the year, Chiesi hosted the first annual Bugg Expo featuring a digital playground and field day, constructed an outdoor classroom and community garden, and provided physical activity packs as well as lunch and recess volunteering support. In addition, Chiesi helped the school transition to magnet status by donating needed materials like virtual whiteboards, a digital playground, the Google Expedition Virtual Field Trip System and teacher education seminars. The Chiesi family also created school staff appreciation kits to thank the teachers for their dedication every day.

As part of its commitment to making a lasting impact in the community, Chiesi will identify another program for the Chiesi in the Community Keystone Initiative in 2018 and engage its corporate partners to continue to support Bugg Elementary.

“Our team became fully committed to the students and teachers at Bugg Elementary and there was no shortage of volunteers,” continued McBean. “Children are among the most vulnerable members of the community, and we plan to maintain the focus of Chiesi in the Community Keystone Initiative on reaching underserved youth in the Triangle.”

Chiesi in the Community focuses on four key goals through its Local Sociocultural Enhancement, Stakeholder Engagement, Therapeutic Areas and Keystone Initiative. The latter two areas featured significant build-outs for Chiesi in 2017 with the Keystone Initiative being an entirely new activity that increased Chiesi USA's financial impact in the local community and reached students in the Triangle area. In addition, Chiesi continues to support the efforts of groups within the therapeutic areas that are served by Chiesi, such as the March of Dimes, American Heart Association and cystic fibrosis nonprofits.

For more information on Chiesi’s social responsibility initiatives, please visit https://www.chiesiusa.com/social-responsibility/.

About Chiesi USA
Chiesi USA, Inc., headquartered in Cary, N.C., is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on commercialization of products for the hospital, rare disease and target office-based specialties. Key elements of the company's strategy are to focus its commercial and development efforts in the hospital and adjacent specialty product sector within the U.S. pharmaceutical marketplace; continue to seek opportunities to acquire companies, marketed or registration-stage products and late-stage development products that fit within the Company's focus areas.  Chiesi USA, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. For more information, visit www.chiesiusa.com.

Contacts
Media: FleishmanHillard, Elizabeth Romero, +1-919-457-0749 or +1-919-461-7648, elizabeth.romero@fleishman.com
Business Development: Josh Franklin, +1-919-678-6520, josh.franklin@chiesi.com

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