Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company has announced a $1 million commitment to AMPATH in support of a new oncology center in Eldoret, Kenya.

Awarded through the Lilly Foundation, the grant will enable AMPATH (Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare) to equip a new Ampath Oncology Institute, hire additional staff, and train local healthcare professionals to screen, treat, and provide palliative care to more of the 3.5 million people who live in the region. Created in 2001 to address the HIV crisis in western Kenya, AMPATH is a partnership of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, the Moi University School of Medicine in Eldoret, and a consortium of eleven academic health centers led by Indiana University.

In addition to the grant, AMPATH and Lilly will explore opportunities for Lilly employees to participate in skills-based volunteer assignments in conjunction with the new center. Since 2002, Lilly has donated medicines valued at nearly $60 million to AMPATH to help people with diabetes, mental illness, and cancer.

"AMPATH continues to demonstrate that it is possible to provide quality care and services — even in the toughest settings, for people in great need," said Sue Mahony, Lilly senior vice president and president of Lilly Oncology. "We are honored to further our collaboration with AMPATH and be part of this growing oncology effort. It's exciting to be able to make a meaningful difference for people in Kenya today, while finding new ways to help more people tomorrow."