Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health invests more than $1.1 million in health programs to benefit West Virginians
Oct. 11, 2023 | PARKERSBURG, W.Va.
PARKERSBURG (Oct. 11, 2023) — Officials from the Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health today announced the latest funded grants to nonprofit organizations throughout West Virginia. The grants total more than $1.1 million and are awarded to 13 organizations.
Many of the grants awarded were in response to a Request for Proposal offered earlier this year for West Virginia-based programs and initiatives that address behavioral health and mental health programs and initiatives. The grants below were selected among several dozen proposals to address gaps in access to behavioral health and mental health care, including financial hurdles, stigma, barriers, and lack of treatment options available and total nearly $500,000:
- WV Child Advocacy Network: Strengthening Therapy Services in WV Child Advocacy Centers
- Valley Health Systems, Inc.: Mental Health Awareness, Prevention, and Access
- Prestera Center for Mental Health Services Inc.: Comprehensive Behavioral Health Initiative to Learn and Develop and build Resilience Early to address Needs of Children and Families (CHILDREN)
- The Martinsburg Initiative, Inc.: The Martinsburg Initiative's Behavioral Health Project
- Harmony Mental Health Inc.: Project Breathe: Elevate
Other outstanding grants recently awarded address oral health, community health, and family health initiatives that positively impact West Virginia individuals and families. These grants total more than $625,000 and include:
- St. Mary's Medical Center Foundation, Inc.: St. Mary's Medical Center for Education Scholarship Program
- Read Aloud West Virginia, Inc.: Books for Babies Program
- West Virginia Health Right, Inc.: Remote Area Medical and Mobile Dental Unit
- Ebenezer Medical Outreach, Inc.: Dentures and Diabetes Program
- Big Brothers Big Sisters: Improving West Virginia Adolescent Health Through the Reduction of Risk-Taking Behaviors
- Community Markets, Inc.: Food Box Giveaway Program
- Rea of Hope, Inc.: First Things First Program
- Raleigh County Community Action Association, Inc.: Smiles of Hope Program
Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health Executive Director Cathy McAlister said, "The nonprofit organizations receiving grants help address a tremendous need for individuals and families throughout the Mountain State. We applaud their impactful efforts to improve various health outcomes of countless West Virginians, and we are honored to partner with them."
Since 2021, the Charitable Fund has awarded more than $5 million in grants to 80 organizations that implement programs that address Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), Oral Health, Substance Use Disorder, Community Health and Family Health.
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.
About Highmark Foundation
The Highmark Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) private, charitable organization dedicated to improving the health, wellbeing, and quality of life for individuals who reside in the communities served by Highmark, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. We fulfill our missing 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 reevaluating our region's prevailing health care needs. By doing so, the Foundation remains at the forefront of those needs, well-equipped to pinpoint the issues that more urgently need support.
In 2021, two new restricted funds were established at the Highmark Foundation — the Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health and the United Concordia Dental Charitable Fund. These funds support the ongoing work of the Highmark Foundation across its footprint and beyond.
For more information, visit www.highmarkfoundation.org and follow the Highmark Foundation on LinkedIn.
Contact:
Bethany Ross
Highmark Health
304-347-7698
Bethany.ross@highmarkhealth.org