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Continue Since 2014, Philips Foundation has worked to bridge the gap in healthcare access for underserved communities.Over the past 10 years, Philips Foundation has provided life-changing healthcare access to millions of people, bringing early disease detection, prevention, and care closer to those who need it most. As we reach this ten-year mark, we like to celebrate the innovative solutions and partnerships that have driven our success, from impactful donations to pioneering new healthcare models in underserved settings. It's not just a celebration of the past, but also a launchpad for the future. Between September 2024 and June 2025, we will actively engage our global community, inspiring Philips employees, deepening collaboration with our partners, and raising public awareness – all aimed at driving future innovations and expanding our impact for the next decade. Together, we can continue to transform healthcare access and make a lasting difference in the lives of millions more in the years to come.
November 26, 2024 — We spoke with Margot Cooijmans, who has been the director of the Philips Foundation since the end of 2016, to reflect on the challenges and successes of the projects and investments that have been bringing quality healthcare access to underserved communities in the past decade.
In the beginning, our efforts mostly consisted of making donations. After the first few years, we realized that we wanted to focus more sharply on the impact we could make. We wanted to drive access to healthcare, and we wanted to know the results of our efforts. We had to be smarter with our strategy. Ultimately, we set an ambitious goal: to improve access to healthcare for 100 million people a year in underserved communities by 2030.
Margot Cooijmans
Director of the Philips Foundation
As we celebrate Philips Foundation's 10th anniversary, we’re excited to take you on a journey through ten regions across the globe, where our collective impact has made a real difference. Each region faces unique challenges—from access to maternal and child healthcare in the US to combating heart disease in the Philippines.
But it's not just about challenges. Every difficulty presents an opportunity for us to use our innovation, expertise, and dedication to transform healthcare for underserved communities. Through this series, you’ll hear inspiring stories of collaboration, resilience, and healthcare solutions addressing local needs.
We look forward to sharing these powerful stories and continuing to make a profound difference—region by region, community by community. Stay tuned as we regularly update this page with new stories that we hope will inspire you.
Through this innovative partnership, Philips is providing point-of-care ultrasound technology with telehealth capabilities, while the Philips Foundation is supporting staffing and operational needs and providing allowances for local healthcare partners and community health workers.
At a time when the U.S. faces the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries, the need for innovative healthcare solutions is urgent. A 2022 Commonwealth Fund report shows that the maternal mortality rate in the United States is more than three times the rate in most other high-income countries. It is exceptionally high for Black women — more than double the national average rate and nearly three times higher than the rate for white women. Amidst these growing disparities, Philips, Philips Foundation and the March of Dimes are partnering to bring Mom & Baby Mobile Health Centers® to underserved communities in Phoenix, Tucson and Washington, DC.
In the Netherlands, the Foundation’s efforts are currently focused on improving access to care by reducing waiting times, reducing costs and enhancing cardiac care, one of the biggest killers in the region.
Amid growing healthcare disparities globally, equitable access to care also remains a critical need in the Netherlands. Cardiac arrest is one of the nation’s leading causes of death, with survival often hinging on the first six minutes of response. To address this, Philips Foundation has partnered with local organizations to establish a six-minute cardiac arrest zone in Eindhoven, training 800 residents and installing 44 AEDs across the city. For children with cancer, the Foundation collaborated with the Princess Máxima Center, ensuring centralized care and innovative tools like the KLIK Pain Monitor app, enabling timely support. These efforts demonstrate a commitment to lasting healthcare impact.
