Press Releases

Highmark Delaware invests $650,000 to support health

• Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware commits $653,925 to address a variety of community needs, ranging from expansion projects to training healthcare professionals

Wilmington, Del. (June 16, 2023) — Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware is pleased to announce more than $650,000 in BluePrints for the Community grants have been awarded this quarter.

BluePrints for the Community is a grants program of the Highmark Delaware Fund, a donor-advised fund at the Delaware Community Foundation. Since BluePrints launched in 2007, the Highmark Delaware Fund has invested more than $35 million in initiatives to improve health outcomes across the state.

“This quarter’s grants were awarded to some remarkable nonprofit organizations that are making real change for Delaware communities,” said Nick Moriello, president of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware. “We committed to making consistent, targeted investments to address our communities’ health and well-being in a holistic way, and the results are really shining through.”

BluePrints aims to increase access to care and reduce health disparities throughout the state. Programs and projects typically demonstrate progress in one or both goals through one of the following focus areas: healthcare access, economic stability for families and individuals, social and community context, neighborhood and built environment, and health workforce.

“Health is a multi-faceted component of living well, and BluePrints continues to make every effort to address the evolutions, changes, and emergences of the needs we see in our communities. We thank our nonprofit partners for their steadfast commitment to a healthier Delaware,” said Rita Landgraf, chair of the BluePrints for the Community Advisory Council.

BluePrints grants awarded in the second quarter:

• ChristianaCare: Train health care professionals and promote health literacy messaging.
• Delaware Pharmaceutical Society: Train additional pharmacists in underserved communities to provide patient education on medication management.
• Unite for HER: Provide integrative services to underrepresented Delaware residents with breast and ovarian cancer at no cost.
• Rosa Health Center: Increase the number of exam rooms and hire additional staff to provide care for more people.
• Family Promise of Northern New Castle County, Inc.: Expand its shelter, enabling housing for at least eight families with children at any given time.
• Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Inc.: Fund the Easterseals Adult Day Health program for older adults to enjoy group activities and receive healthcare services, while enabling caregivers to take respite time or be at work.
• Delaware Prosperity Partnership: Maintain the Highmark Healthcare Recruitment landing page – http://www.livelovedelaware.com/healthcare-jobs-in-delaware/.

BluePrints will also continue long-term investments with the Medical Society/Delaware Medical Education Foundation to provide grants to eligible physicians who propose qualified method(s) to prepare their practice for success in value-based care; and with Healthy Communities Delaware to invest in place-based solutions that improve vital conditions in underserved communities.

"Highmark Delaware is an important partner in addressing community needs throughout the state,” DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay said. “Highmark’s generosity and expertise is advancing equity in health care and making Delaware a better place for all of us to live.”

Please see the second quarter report for details on each award.

For information about the full impact of the 2022 BluePrints for the Community grants, see the new 2022 BluePrints for the Community Annual Report.

Caption for photo
BluePrints grant in action: In 2021, The University of Delaware received support for an intensive workforce training initiative that is diversifying healthcare workforce pipelines - the UD Highmark Diversity Scholars program. Jennifer Saylor (second from left), associate dean of faculty and student affairs, stands outside McDowell Hall with UD’s five current Highmark Diversity Scholars, (from left) Jacob Miller, Raven Roberts, Tyler Juhl, Gehad Abdelaal and Jordan Robinson. Photo by Ashley Barnas from UDaily article by Amy Cherry.