Press Releases
Wednesday, September 01, 2021
Highmark West Virginia charitable fund for health grants nearly $1 million to local non-profits
- Inaugural grant cycle to fund multiple projects aimed at improving health care needs for West Virginians
Parkersburg, W.Va. (September 1, 2021) — Twenty West Virginia-based non-profit organizations will receive funding from the newly created Highmark West Virginia’s Charitable Fund for Health to support programs that will address social determinates of health and oral care in West Virginia. The grants, from the program’s inaugural grant cycle, total nearly $1 million. Additionally, Lily’s Place, the state’s only Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) facility located in Huntington, W.Va. has been awarded funds to assist with care coordination under family health.
“Highmark’s new West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health is excited to provide critical funding to support West Virginia-based health and social service organizations, particularly those that address the social determinants of health and oral care for West Virginia families,” said Jim Fawcett, president of Highmark West Virginia. “We are looking forward to seeing the positive impact these grant funds will make to support the well-being of our community through this funding.”
Announced this past spring, the West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health is a new funding extension of the Highmark Foundation, and was established to specifically address and improve the health, well-being and quality of life for individuals who live in West Virginia.
The inaugural grant cycle of Highmark’s West Virginia Charitable Fund included awarding major grants of up to $50,000 to the following organizations for initiatives throughout West Virginia that target and improve health outcomes in priority health areas - community health, family health, access to care, service delivery systems, chronic disease and oral health:
Social Determinates of Health (SDoH) Grant Recipients
- Center for Rural Health Development, Inc.
- Mineral County Court Appointed Special Advocates Program, Inc.
- One Voice, Inc.
- West Virginia Breast Health Initiative
- West Virginia United Health System, Inc.
Oral Health and Dental Care Grant Recipients
- Beckley Health Right
- Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation
- E.A. Hawse Health Center
- Ebenezer Medical Outreach
- Health Access, Inc.
- Logan Mingo Area Mental Health, Inc., DBA Mountain Laurel Integrated Healthcare
- Monongalia County Health Department
- Raleigh County Community Action Association
- Shenandoah Community Health
- Susan Dew Hoff Memorial Clinic, Inc.
- West Virginia University Foundation, Inc.
- Wheeling Health Right, Inc.
- Williamson Health and Wellness Center
- Wirt County Health Services Association
Family Health Grant Recipients
- Lily’s Place
The Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health’s next grant application cycle is targeted for this fall. Interested non-profit organizations are encouraged to watch for additional communications and announcements by checking the Highmark Foundation’s website at www.highmarkfoundation.org.
About Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia serves approximately 246,000 members through the company’s health care benefits business and hundreds of thousands of additional members through the BlueCard® program. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of West Virginia holds the largest share of the commercial market, and more West Virginians carry a Blue Cross Blue Shield card than any other insurance carrier in the state. With offices in Parkersburg and Wheeling, Highmark West Virginia employs approximately 700 people and serves as a key economic driver in the state with its total economic impact reaching $262 million.
Highmark Foundation
The Highmark Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private, charitable organization dedicated to improving the health, well-being, and quality of life for individuals and communities throughout the areas served by Highmark Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. We fulfill our mission by awarding high-impact grants to charitable organizations that implement evidence-based programs aimed at improving community health. Central to the Foundation’s mission is identifying and continuously re-evaluation our region’s prevailing health care needs. By doing so, the Foundation remains at the forefront of those needs, well equipped to pinpoint issues that most urgently need support. For more information, visit www.highmarkfoundation.org
About Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund
The Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health is a restricted fund of the Highmark Foundation. The Charitable Fund for Health‘s mission is to improve the health, well-being and quality of life for individuals who reside in all 55 counties in West Virginia. The Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health strives to support programs that impact multiple counties and work collaboratively to leverage additional funding to achieve replicable models. For more information, visit www.highmarkfoundation.org
For more information, contact
Cathy McAlister
Highmark WV Charitable Fund for Health
304-347-7754
cathy.mcalister@highmarkhealth.org
