Highmark Delaware awards BluePrints for the Community grant to Catholic Charities

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware has awarded Catholic Charities a $249,838 BluePrints for the Community grant to support the mental health services and transportation assistance that Catholic Charities provides to the uninsured and underinsured as well as training programs for mental health professionals.

This BluePrints for the Community grant is the third one awarded to Catholic Charities to support its mental health programs. In addition to funding mental health services for about 200 people, the grant also allows Catholic Charities to provide transportation assistance to its clients. These transportation services ensure that patients can access the care they need even if they can’t access reliable transportation.

“There are individuals of all ages across the state of Delaware who need mental health services, but are either uninsured or underinsured,” said Tim Constantine, Highmark Delaware president. “Catholic Charities plays a critical role in providing vital care to individuals who otherwise may not have access to it.”

With this grant, Catholic Charities is also expanding its professional development opportunities. The organization offers a 48-credit-hour, 16-week certified alcohol and drug counselor training program designed to prepare students for the written exam required for CADC certification.

“We are now able to award up to 33 scholarships for our CADC preparatory courses,” said Shamla McLaurin, program manager of behavioral health services at Catholic Charities. “These courses give students a broad foundation in addiction treatment as well as an opportunity to network with other professionals.”

The courses Catholic Charities offers are certified by the Delaware Certification Board and can be put toward the 270 credit hours of education required for CADC certification.

“Thanks to this BluePrints for the Community grant, we are able to address mental health issues from different angles,” McLaurin said. “We can get our clients to their counselors, provide them with the mental health services they need and also increase the capacity of mental health professionals in the state.”

For more information about Highmark Delaware, visit www.highmark.com.

The BluePrints for the Community grant program was created in 2007 to help address the issues faced by Delaware's uninsured and underserved populations.

For more information, go to www.highmark.com/BluePrintsfortheCommunity.