Wednesday, October 30, 2024
PITTSBURGH (October 30, 2024) – Highmark Wholecare, a leading Pennsylvania-based Medicaid and Medicare managed care organization, announced today a $25,000 donation to Open Up, a nonprofit startup in Pittsburgh that teaches mindfulness through movement and art practices while centering people living with disabilities.
The generous gift allows Open Up to continue offering its free programming and underscores Highmark Wholecare’s longstanding commitment to providing people with equitable access to the health services and resources they need to live better lives. This funding will help Open Up maintain its commitment to openness, nurturing growth and cultivating joy. It will enable the organization to develop effective feedback protocols and strategies for engaging the community and understanding its wellness needs. By synthesizing this feedback, Open Up can equip its staff to deliver safe and consistent programming, ensuring accessibility for all.
“Open Up embodies Highmark Wholecare’s inclusionary values by empowering people of all abilities and fostering overall wellness in our community,” said Karen Rollins-Fitch, director, Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Engagement at Highmark Wholecare. “As a community-based health plan that prioritizes whole person care, we aim to address barriers to comprehensive support. This donation does that by contributing ongoing assistance to people living with disabilities that positively impacts their physical, mental and emotional well-being.”
Founded in 2015, Open Up uses inclusive, engaging activities, like yoga, dance, games and breath work, to help individuals learn and explore new tools to better navigate social settings. It holds nearly 1,200 classes each year, bringing together 750 in-person participants and an additional 2,500 individuals though live virtual programs.
“We thank Highmark Wholecare for its gift which helps us sustain our life-changing programs,” said Marissa Vogel, co-founder and director of Operations and Fundraising at Open Up. “It enables us to continue providing an environment where diverse populations can find space and practices to heal and flourish as individuals and as a community.”
The donation to Open Up extends Highmark Wholecare’s work to assist marginalized and underserved communities in southwestern Pennsylvania. Other recent examples of Highmark Wholecare’s commitment to this cause include a $50,000 donation to East End Cooperative Ministry, sponsorship of the 3rd annual Disability Pride Pittsburgh event, and partnerships with local schools and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank that, by the end of the year, will distribute more than 60,000 pounds of free fresh produce to families in need.
About Highmark Wholecare
We believe in caring for the whole person in all communities where the need is greatest. We see a future in which everyone has equal opportunity to achieve their best health. Through our leading Medicaid and Medicare programs, we are coordinating health care that goes beyond doctors and medicine that helps members achieve not just physical health, but also delivers whole person care. Our team members are helping to drive this new kind of health care for our 325,000 Medicaid and Medicare members in collaboration with a network of 29,000 primary care physicians, specialists, hospitals, and other ancillary providers. We are also committed to supporting our neighbors through our many community outreach and engagement programs.
About Open Up
Open Up, based in Lawrenceville, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting mindfulness, movement, and belonging for all. Through accessible programming and a welcoming environment, Open Up empowers individuals to cultivate joy, connect with their bodies, and find a sense of community.
For more information, contact
John Pepper
Highmark Wholecare
|412-951-1533
jpepper@highmarkwholecare.com
