Community & Economic Resilience
We are advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We are celebrating our Veterans. We are boosting Arts and Culture. We are contributing to Business and Economic Development.
We found ourselves immersed in the power of coming together this year as we sponsored and funded events for a varied and diverse population. We will continue to keep learning, keep listening, and keep leading efforts to ensure a better world. We take our Corporate Responsibility seriously, as a large employer in the community that wants to see equality for all.
Our communities are made up of millions of people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Every idea and perspective is important to ensure we are focused on a better, brighter future for the entirety of our patients, families, and communities.
When we work together, we learn from one another. All our experiences are vastly different, and understanding is the first step in making real change.
This year, we spread compassion, stood as allies, educated ourselves, supported creative endeavors and celebrated with our community, continuing our promise to be open, inclusive, and supportive to all.
We celebrated Juneteenth across our footprint. Juneteenth (June 19) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the end of slavery. The events brought communities together and featured activities such as parades, African American Culture education and performances, speakers, live music, and local vendors. One of the events supported was the Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade & Festival, which is the largest Juneteenth celebration in the nation welcoming more than 25,000 people. We supported multiple Pride events throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, and Delaware, impacting thousands of individuals. Pride is the recognition of LGBTQ+ identity, affirmation of equal rights, and celebration of visibility, dignity, and diversity. Many events included the chance to engage in dialogue focused on the LGBTQ+ community; gain additional information and resources; utilize health and wellness screenings; and enjoy food booths, live entertainment, speakers, games, vendors, and music. One such event was The Pride Parade and Festival, the second largest pride festival in New York State, which brings together 15,000+ people.
More than a million veterans live in our coverage area, and we worked to focus our care on the individuals who have served our country, many of whom face incredible challenges in their civilian life. Some of the statistics are alarming. The suicide rate for veterans is 57% higher than the national average. The Census Bureau estimates that 7.5% of veterans in 2022 (approximately 1.2 million) reported income below the poverty level. In August 2022, 4.9 million veterans, or 27% of all veterans, had a service-connected disability. We were honored to support more than 15 veteran-related organizations and events this year, including veteran ride share programs, service dogs and a fundraising event for Stop Soldier Suicide.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, to recognize the contributions, culture, and history of Hispanic Americans, we supported a variety of events including the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hispanic Heritage Festival at the Heinz History Museum.
Many other diversity initiatives were supported, including the YWCA Equity Awards in Pittsburgh, which seeks to honor leaders, especially women of color, who advocate for and advance their mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. We supported individuals with disabilities through our work with organizations like Easter Seals. The Pennsylvania Conference for Women in Philadelphia, Pa. was another major event we supported this year, with around 10,000 in attendance.
The communities that we operate in have always been rich in arts and culture and we sponsored dozens of organizations and events across our footprint in celebration of the arts, including Highmark Light Up Night and Highmark First Night bringing tens of thousands of people into the City of Pittsburgh. From symphonies to botanic gardens, to children’s museums, our support of these organizations brought joy to many.
We have also continued to support a variety of organizations that provide a network of direct services to people in need and improve the standards of living in our communities.
Every year we learn. Every year we grow. Every year we find new meaning in our work, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.
