A new initiative to raise funds to support The Wellness Moonshot: A World Free of Preventable Disease has successfully launched with an initial donation of $100,000 from the Richard P. Woltman family. GWI Board of Director Richard P. Woltman, who is chair emeritus of Girard Securities Inc. and a financial industry leader and philanthropist committed to the health and sciences industry, will also act as fundraising chair for the project.
“Never in my lifetime has there been a more critical moment to stand up and take action to raise awareness of the importance of largely preventable chronic diseases. We are calling on companies large and small, private and public foundations, universities and individuals to sound the clarion call and unite in this crucial mission,” said GWI Chair and CEO Susie Ellis about the new challenge.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 69% of all deaths globally each year are the result of preventable diseases and that the global cost of largely preventable chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and more) could reach $47 trillion by 2030 (World Economic Forum, 2017).
