2009 News Releases

• Five programs selected based on submissions by medical facilities and organizations across Japan for improving care environment for children
• Announcement and presentation ceremony conducted during the “14^th Conference of the 21^st Century Aichi Children’s Health Forum”

Nagoya - On Sunday, November 1, the NPO Children’s Heath Forum (Aichi Prefecture; Center Director: Minoru Tanabe), a non-profit organization which aims to facilitate the recovery of children through the improvement of the medical treatment environment for children at hospitals nationwide, announced the recipients of donations from the “Manulife Japan Fundraising Campaign to Improve the Medical Treatment Environment for Children”. The announcement and a presentation ceremony were held as part of the 14^th conference of the “21^st Century Aichi Children’s Health Forum.” The donations were awarded to institutions which submitted the most promising, unique proposals for improving the medical care environment for children. The proposals were submitted as part of a competition that was open to all medical care facilities in Japan which provide inpatient or outpatient care to children. Following a stringent selection process, five proposals were chosen to receive funding. 

Each year since 2005, Manulife Japan (Head Office: Chofu-city, Tokyo; President & CEO: Craig Bromley) has conducted a “Manulife Japan Fundraising Campaign to Improve the Medical Treatment Environment for Children”. The campaign raises donations primarily internally from Manulife Japan’s employees nationwide. The donations received in the campaign are combined with a company donation and provided to Central Community Chest Japan, Japan’s largest fundraising organization, which presents the funds to the NPO Children’s Health Forum. As of the end of 2008, the Children’s Health Forum had provided support to 29 initiatives with funds received through the campaign.

The five organizations receiving support through this year’s fundraising campaign are the following:

• NPO Mental Care Rainbow Forest
• National Hospital Organization Nagara Medical Center, Children’s Ward
• Aichi Children’s Health and Medical Center
• Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Ninth Floor West Ward
• Nagoya Ekisaikai Hospital

On November 1, Osaka Medical Center for Maternal and Child Health and Asahikawa Kosei General Hospital were also announced as recipients of funds as part of the “Manulife Waku Waku Room Program”. The “Manulife Waku Waku Room Program” is a separate initiative which aims to aid the recovery of children through promotion of the use of playrooms in Japanese health care facilities.  

Photo: Representatives from the five facilities that were awarded funds pose with Dr. Tanabe, Chairman, Children’s Health Forum (3^rd row, far left); Ms. Okuda, Director, Children’s Health Forum (1^st row, second from left); Mr. Kumagai, Central Community Chest Japan (3rd row, far right); and Mr. Utsunomiya, Regional Sales Director, Manulife Japan Chubu Regional Office (3^rd row, second from right)

Media Contact:
Joel Sievers
Communications
Manulife Life Insurance Company
81(0424) 42-7879