West Virginia Press Association
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. – Officials from the Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health announced its first quarter grant funding to West Virginia-based nonprofit organizations on May 16. These grants support programs and initiatives that benefit the state’s residents in the focus areas of oral health, community health, and family health.
The grants approved in the Fund’s first meeting of 2024 total more than $800,000 dollars and were awarded to seven organizations, including:
- American Heart Association: CPR Training and kits in W.Va. schools
- CASA of the Eastern Panhandle, Inc.: Fostering Healthy Futures program
- OVP Health Care: Sustaining Access to Quality Dental Care and Dentures in Tri-State Appalachia
- Shenandoah Community Health Foundation: Building capacity to enhance quality of care and increase access to oral health care
- Susan Dew Hoff Memorial Clinic Inc.: Changing Lives through Dentistry program
- West Virginia State University Foundation: Highmark W.Va. Charitable Fund for Health Nursing Scholarship Program
- Wheeling Health Right: Finalizing the Expansion of Dental Care Services for the Marginalized
“We’re honored to partner with this group of nonprofit organizations that directly help meet the needs of individuals, families and communities throughout the Mountain State,” said Cathy McAlister, executive director of the Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health. “We look forward to seeing the improved health outcomes from each of these programs, and truly appreciate their passion and dedication to helping others.”
The Charitable Fund has awarded more than $6 million in grants to more than 100 organizations since its launch in 2021. To date, these grants support programs that address Behavioral Health, Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), Oral Health, Substance Use Disorder, Community Health and Family Health.
About Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health
The Highmark West Virginia Charitable Fund for Health is a restricted fund of the Highmark Foundation that was established in 2021. 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 health-focused programs that impact individuals, families and communities throughout the Mountain State and work collaboratively to leverage additional funding to achieve replicable models. Visit www.highmarkfoundation.org for more information.
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.