Press Releases

Highmark mobilizes Pittsburgh businesses to produce over 1 million face coverings for members and community

• Highmark collaborates with small and diverse Pittsburgh-based businesses to design and manufacture face coverings as part of its return to work and social engagement efforts, Richard King Mellon Foundation contributes $250,000 to effort

PITTSBURGH (June 10, 2020) — Highmark Inc. is joining forces with four small and diverse Pittsburgh-based businesses to design, manufacture and donate over 1 million cloth face coverings throughout the summer months. The face coverings will be distributed to at-risk and vulnerable Highmark members, community organizations in need, health care professionals, and employer groups across Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. The initiative is yet another way Highmark is providing support to its members as workplaces begin to welcome back employees for in-person operations. 

“Highmark is dedicated to not only providing high-quality health insurance to its members, but also to building strong, healthy communities,” shared Deb Rice-Johnson, president of Highmark Health Plan. “An important aspect of that commitment involves supporting small and diverse businesses that are reflective of the members we serve. We recognize that the last several months have presented many challenges, so it’s important that we work with locally-owned businesses to further help those in our community.”

Highmark is working with four Pittsburgh-based businesses to design and manufacture the face coverings:

• Fashion designer Kiya Tomlin, whose woman-owned and minority business enterprise (MBE) boutique and workshop is located in Etna, has created a number of unique designs that will be printed on the face coverings.  
• CPI Creative, a woman-owned business located in Aspinwall, is manufacturing a majority of the face coverings in conjunction with international suppliers to lower overall cost and permit broader distribution.  
• Day Owl, a Homewood-based business, will be utilizing 20 full-time equivalent positions for this project during the summer months in order to produce face coverings. Day Owl is working with East End Cooperative Ministry and Abram’s Nation to hire sewers for the project.   
• Little Earth, a South Side-based business, will be hiring 30 to 40 people to work both remotely and in their studio to sew face coverings throughout the summer. 

The Richard King Mellon Foundation provided a $250,000 forgivable loan through Bridgeway Capital to support Day Owl and Little Earth’s efforts in the initiative. The funding will allow both small businesses to hire employees, purchase equipment and raw material, and retool manufacturing to allow for mass production of the face coverings.  

"Highmark is stepping up again to help Southwestern Pennsylvania to curtail this pandemic, and also to fuel our economic recovery — and those are our COVID-19 priorities, as well," said Sam Reiman, director of the Richard King Mellon Foundation. "This initiative is particularly gratifying because it helps to build out one of the most important components of local manufacturing: our "Maker" community. The stitchers and sewers who will manufacture these masks are talented craftspeople. They are eager to help. And they represent an under-tapped economic engine that we are always eager to fuel." 

Manufacturing will begin in June and members can anticipate receiving the face coverings through June and July. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Highmark Health Plan has taken many proactive measures through coverage expansions, increased options to access to care, support for its communities, providers and customers, and by providing resources to access help and information to ensure that our members, employees and communities are safe and can continue to receive care. Initially, Highmark expanded benefits to cover telehealth and inpatient, in-network COVID-19 treatment with no cost-sharing, and has now extended that until September 30.  

To support those affected by the pandemic, Highmark dedicated a web site (highmarkanswers.com) to answer questions and provide insight to the community and launched a stream of podcasts to assist in understanding issues surrounding COVID-19. Through its provider partners such as AHN in western Pennsylvania and health systems in other communities, Highmark has actively supported COVID-19 testing, with a focus on underserved communities through mobile units. Highmark also committed $2 million in grants to food insecurity, safety net providers and COVID-19 relief organizations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware.