New York (Top40 Charts/ CareFusion Corporation)-CareFusion Corporation, the company that will become public following the planned spinoff of Cardinal Health's clinical and medical products businesses, today announced the CareFusion Jazz Festival Series at an event held in New York.
CareFusion created the CareFusion Jazz Festival Series to support the launch of its new brand and recognize individuals and organizations working to improve patient care. The new medical technology company combines its proven technologies with information to help measurably improve the delivery of care.
The Series comprises some of the largest and oldest jazz festivals in the world, attracting both big-name and up-and-coming artists.
"There is a clear connection between jazz and medicine that provides the perfect opportunity to launch our new brand, raise funds for and awareness of patient safety and help support and preserve the arts," said David Schlotterbeck, CEO of CareFusion. "Both jazz and the practice of medicine embrace innovation, performance and change. Jazz has also been used to teach listening skills to medical students and resonates with our customers. In addition, the musicians playing at these festivals are the best and the brightest - a great fit for our company whose products are recognized as leaders in our industry."
George Wein, world-famous jazz impresario and founder of the Newport Jazz Festival said, "This is a critical time to invest in the arts. CareFusion is re-igniting a 34-year tradition in New York City and supporting cultural institutions around the world."
The CareFusion Jazz Festival Series will open in Newport, R.I. The kickoff event will be George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55, the oldest of the festivals and the one that has set the tradition for jazz festivals as they are known today. The full schedule includes:
* George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55 (Newport, R.I.), Aug. 7 - 9, 2009
* Chicago Jazz Festival presented by CareFusion, Sept. 4 - 6, 2009
* CareFusion Presents Dizzy's Den at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Sept. 18 - 20, 2009
* CareFusion Manly Jazz Festival (Australia), Oct. 3 - 5, 2009
* CareFusion Jazz Festival Paris, Oct. 16 - 24, 2009
* CareFusion New York Jazz Festival, June 2010 (exact dates to be determined)
As part of the Festival Series, CareFusion will broadcast live to hospitals the performances of select festival artists. Caregivers and administrators from hospitals across the United States, Europe and Australia will also be invited to special VIP events at the festivals to raise funds and awareness for a new health care safety campaign named Rhythm of Care.
Rhythm of Care will bring together organizations and people from health care to promote best practices and honor safety leaders working to improve how care is delivered worldwide.
Medication errors and hospital-acquired infections are two of the biggest challenges facing the medical industry. Reports cite the annual cost of medication errors to be $3.5 billion in the U.S. and $3 billion per year in top five European countries. In addition, there are an estimated 7 million hospital-acquired infections worldwide annually, costing as much as $20 billion per year in the U.S alone.
"Building a safer and more efficient approach to health care is a top priority for everyone - hospitals, caregivers, patients and government," said Schlotterbeck. "That is why CareFusion plans to partner with nonprofit safety organizations to create Rhythm of Care. We want to honor individuals in health care that are pioneering new ways to improve safety and share their ideas with others."
