Topic: credo

By Fadra Nally, Corporate Communications, Johnson & Johnson

When I was in college, I remember ordering a t-shirt with some of my hard-earned minimum wage pay that proudly celebrated the 20 year anniversary of Earth Day. That was in 1990.

If you do a little math and consult some history, you’ll find that Earth Day originated in 1970. A time of flower power and hippie culture, as well as some of the worst environmental pollution of our time.

Using the momentum from the war protests at the time, a U.S. Senator founded what would become Earth Day, a day of demonstration and education all in the name of a healthy, sustainable environment.

Remarkably, that original Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.

Since that anniversary in 1990, when Earth Day saw a resurgence of interest and went global, the campaigns and initiatives to protect our environment for future generations have increased exponentially.

Our Sustainability Campaign

At Johnson & Johnson, we’re extremely proud to talk about our contribution with Earthwards®, a program launched in 2009 for developing and marketing greener products through lifecycle thinking.

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By: Michael McCaffrey, Senior Director, Johnson & Johnson Corporate Communication

Innovation is the lifeblood to success for any company competing in the healthcare industry.  When it comes to innovation, many healthcare companies have robust, longstanding processes that are highly standardized and easily repeatable over time.  However, many of these innovation processes have one shortcoming – they are often front loaded — ie, the bulk of attention is given to idea generation and refinement, with little or no upfront consideration to late stage elements like regulatory strategy, commercialization and access effects.  In a rush to market, this lack of foresight can lead to hasty decisions and a ‘push it through’ mentality resulting in poor launch execution and weaker than expected market performance.

At Johnson & Johnson we are focused on creating value through innovation.  We believe meaningful innovation derives from the insight and spirit of our employees, and their ability to anticipate and understand the needs of patients and what they value.  What’s truly unique about our innovation model is our insistence on early identification and development of downstream strategies to optimize everything from access to outcomes.  Our model is ‘end-to-end,’ meaning ingenuity is applied throughout the process of bringing innovation to market. 

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From Grace Gervacio, Human Resources and Contributions Director, Johnson & Johnson Philippines

In my role as Contributions Director for J&J Philippines, I have found that the sense of personal fulfillment seems to know no bounds.  But among all the meaningful engagements I have been privileged to experience, I have found no greater fulfillment than from seeing Aizel, Febe and Melanie, three students at a high school in our community in Paranaque, embark on a landmark journey towards a health care career.

These three young ladies are the first scholars of J&J Philippines’ Bridge to Employment (BTE) program.  BTE, a Johnson & Johnson program launched in 1992, provides mentoring to high school students to help prepare them for college and, ultimately, for future careers in the health care industry.   J&J Philippines was tapped to be the first site in Asia to launch this program.  In recognition of the socio-economic conditions in the country, a scholarship component was added to the local program.  Chosen among 20 students who went through the full set of activities such as internships and mentoring by J&J health care professionals, these youngsters will be going through a 2-year midwifery course before returning to Paranaque to serve the community as members of the City Health Office. 

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Sharon D’Agostino, Vice President, Worldwide Corporate Contributions & Community Relations, visiting the AED Girls Education program that Johnson & Johnson supports in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

From Sharon D’Agostino, Vice President, Worldwide Corporate Contributions and Community Relations, Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson has a long tradition of Corporate Giving that is inspired by Our Credo responsibility to communities around the world.  Each year we publish “Our Global Giving,” an annual report that showcases the philanthropic work our Company does, working closely with our community-based partners.  The report also highlights the work of Johnson & Johnson colleagues who share the goal of making life-changing, long-term differences in human health. 

In 2010, we supported nearly 700 programs in more than 50 countries, and while these numbers underscore our commitment to local solutions for improving health, they do not capture the many, many personal stories of those who do this work and those who are touched by it.  I am fortunate and grateful to meet some of these people and am always deeply moved by these visits. 

“Our Global Giving” celebrates all of our partners, and though it is not possible to highlight the work of all programs, we have captured examples that provide a representation of the breadth of programs across our three focus areas — saving and improving the lives of women and children, building the skills of people who serve community health needs, and preventing disease and reducing stigma. 

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From Patrick McCrummen, Senior Director, Corporate Citizenship, Johnson & Johnson

There was an interesting piece last month by Carl Cannon of RealClearPolitics on the evolution of corporate social responsibility (CSR). In the article, Cannon highlights the different views on corporate social responsibility that have developed over the years, including Milton Friedman’s well known rebuttal to the idea of CSR 40 years ago in which he said, “Only people can have responsibilities.  Businesses as a whole cannot be said to have responsibilities, even in this vague sense.”  At the conclusion of the piece, Cannon posits, “Friedman may have had it backwards.  Yes, individuals and not businesses – have responsibilities.  But businesses are run by people.”

Many who know the familiar red script of our logo also know that we have incorporated CSR into our business strategy for decades. In 1943, our then Chairman Robert Wood Johnson established Our Credo, a set of guiding principles and business values for Johnson & Johnson, which sets forth our responsibilities to the stakeholders we serve — our customers, employees, communities and shareholders. 

Even back then, before CSR or sustainability were mainstream ideas, the Credo addressed our responsibility to communities to “be good citizens –support good works and charities and bear our fair share of taxes. 

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From Dr. Fikry Isaac MD, MPH, Vice President Global Health Services, Johnson & Johnson

As part of my role within the Johnson & Johnson Global Health services organization, I have been privileged with the opportunity to lead our company’s efforts to improve the health and well-being of our employees around the world.  At Johnson & Johnson we understand that an investment in the health of our employees is an investment in the health of our company, which is why I’m glad to announce our proud support for National Employee Wellness Month.  This annual initiative, sponsored by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, Virgin Health Miles and Stop Obesity Alliance, and supported by nearly 100 other companies, helps business leaders share and develop successful strategies for the prevention of chronic disease and maintenance of good health for employees.  Throughout our 125 year history we’ve led the way in our commitment to the health of our employees and we are happy to support an initiative that will help foster a culture of health in other companies.

While a focus on a healthy and productive workforce has long been a hallmark of our company, Johnson & Johnson’s commitment to employee health and wellness began officially with former Chairman James Burke’s pledge to make the employees of Johnson & Johnson’s Family of Companies the healthiest in the world. 

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From Michael Bzdak, Ph.D., Director, Johnson & Johnson Corporate Contributions

As part of my work in global philanthropy, I occasionally have the privilege to visit some of our partners to experience their reality and to understand their challenges.  A couple of weeks ago, a small group from Johnson & Johnson spent a few hours at Nyumbani Village in rural Kenya. Nyumbani Village http://www.nyumbani.org/village_need.htm is a self-sustaining community designed to serve orphans and adults who have been affected by the HIV pandemic.  The Village, a three-hour drive from Nairobi, provides a family-like setting for orphaned children under the care of elderly adults. According to their web site, the Village seeks “to ensure that the children receive love, sustenance, health-care, holistic education and culture transfer, aiming at their physical, psychosocial and spiritual development, and, at the same time, providing holistic care and support for the grandparents in their later years.”

In advance of our visit,  I made a request to spend some time in the classroom (see above photo). I was thrilled to be able to teach in the equivalent of a ninth-grade English class where the students were learning the nuances of the English language.  Although a far cry from the “smart classrooms” of our New Jersey schools, the classroom at Nyumbani was a simple but powerful learning environment. 

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From Sarah Colamarino, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Johnson & Johnson

Last week, Johnson & Johnson had the privilege of launching Sports Safety Week with Safe Kids USA, our partner for the past 24 years.  As the mother of two avid teenage athletes, I have come to recognize the physical and emotional effects of sports-related injuries, and recognize that parents, coaches and kids can play a large role in prevention. 

Safe Kids will host some excellent educational opportunities over the next few months.  A special “Sports Injury Prevention” webcast will take place on Monday, May 2. This will offer important information from a professional athlete and leading sports medicine doctors on sports injury prevention.  In addition, Safe Kids will conduct 100 sports safety clinics nationwide over the next few months.  These are designed to provide hands-on learning. Visit the Safe Kids website for the location of a clinic near you.

Youth sports injury is a serious issue with over 3.5 million children under the age of 14 affected every year. As sports have shifted from being a seasonal to a year round activity the incidences of injuries have continued to climb.  We believe that the only way to reverse this trend is to educate parents and educators about preventing and identifying possible injuries.

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From Sarah Colamarino, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Johnson & Johnson

A few weeks ago, I attended a Youth Sports Safety Clinic for parents, coaches and community members at a local high school here in New Jersey, sponsored by Safe Kids USA and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The clinic explained crucial information, like signs of dehydration and ways to prevent overuse injuries.

JNJ BTW has highlighted youth sports safety over the past few months, so we’ve heard the statistics before.  According to Safe Kids, over 38 million kids participate in sports each year, with more than 3.5 million estimated injuries occurring each year.  Experts say that almost half of these injuries could have been prevented.   As a parent watching from the sidelines, I want my child to have fun, enjoy the game and not be sidelined with an injury

The panel, which featured an athletic trainer, orthopedic surgeon and neurologist, covered a lot of topics, including concussions. Even a minor fall or a collision with another player can result in a concussion. While concussions are most common in sports where collisions are routine, concussions can occur in any sport or recreational activity. So it’s essential that parents, coaches and our children understand and recognize the signs and symptoms of a concussion so that they know what to do in the event one does occur.

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From Sarah Colamarino, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Johnson & Johnson

Our company’s work in improving the health of women and children has always been a source of pride for me. As I have written before, I’ve been lucky enough to have a hand in the development of text4baby, a mobile health service that provides information to expectant and new mothers across the country.

The service, which recently celebrated its first birthday, reached another milestone today with the expansion of text4baby in Russia. Announced by Second Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden, the service will provide expectant and new mothers in Russia important health information to ensure a healthy pregnancy and proper care for their newborn. Delivered to their mobile phone, the program uses widely adopted technology to ensure that Russian mothers are getting proper healthcare information.

Johnson & Johnson is proud to be a founding sponsor of text4baby Russia. Leading Russian civil society organization the Health and Development Foundation will develop text4baby Russia with support from technology company Voxiva and leading experts from the Kulakov Center and the Ministry of Health and Social Development.

As text4baby continues to grow, I am in awe of the partners whose support have helped to make this possible.

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