DEERFIELD, Ill., June 6, 2006 - The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), today announced its first-quarter grant awards, totaling nearly $600,000. The foundation's board of directors recently approved grants to 10 organizations in five countries to support initiatives that improve global access to quality and cost-effective healthcare. Specifically, these first-quarter grants will help improve access to healthcare for children, the uninsured and the elderly, prevent child abuse and neglect, promote health education, expand training opportunities for healthcare providers and aid victims of global disasters.

"Throughout the world, limited government funding for healthcare, the growing number of uninsured and underinsured individuals, and natural and man-made disasters continue to increase the need for healthcare services," said Jim Utts, president, The Baxter International Foundation. "The foundation's fundamental purpose, reflected in these first-quarter grant awards, is to make a positive and lasting impact on the health of communities throughout the world,

Two-Year Foundation Grant Expands Baxter's Commitment to AmeriCares

One of the major grants approved in the first quarter will support Baxter's long-standing partner in international disaster relief and product donation distribution, AmeriCares. The foundation awarded AmeriCares $190,000 over two years to help launch a new warehouse in India, expanding the organization's geographic reach and speeding access to essential medicines to enhance healthcare services in Africa and Asia. Delivering aid directly from India will also reduce the time and expenses involved in shipping medical products. Currently, most product donations are sent out of the AmeriCares warehouses in Stamford, Conn. or Amsterdam, Netherlands, where shipping time to partners in Asia, Central Asia and Africa can take two months or more. This new facility, expected to open in the fall of this year, will significantly reduce transit time, allowing needed products to arrive more quickly in times of natural disaster. In addition to this grant, Baxter will also help supply the warehouse with its first round of product donations.

"The Baxter International Foundation's gift, given to support the launch of AmeriCares India, is another example of Baxter's long-standing commitment to improving lives in the global community," said Curt Welling, president and CEO of AmeriCares. "Since 1987, Baxter has been instrumental in AmeriCares emergency response efforts while also contributing to our ongoing programs. We are truly grateful for their latest contribution, which will help us to dramatically further our own mission of providing humanitarian relief to those most in need."

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