Connections awarded $250,000 for community grants
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware announced May 16 that it has awarded Connections Community Support Programs Inc. a $250,000 BluePrints for the Community grant to support the expansion of the group’s mental and behavioral health services.
“Connections Community Support Programs serves individuals in our community who need behavioral health services, but could easily fall through the gaps in the healthcare system,” said Highmark Delaware President Tim Constantine. “With this BluePrints for the Community grant, Connections is able to fill in those gaps for this underserved population, making sure individuals continue to have access to the care they need.”
Connections has served Delawareans since 1985. The organization provides housing, outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment, homeless outreach, primary medical care, community-based case management, home healthcare and employment assistance.
“Thanks to this significant grant from Highmark Delaware, we are able to expand our services and break down barriers to care for both behavioral and mental health patients,” said Cathy McKay, founder, president and CEO of Connections. “Many of the individuals we serve have been incarcerated and need help to successfully transition back into society. An important part of that help is making sure they adhere to any medication regimen their doctors have prescribed.”
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware is headquartered in Wilmington. For more information, 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. The program is administered through a donor-advised fund at the Delaware Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization that manages and administers charitable funds throughout Delaware. Since BluePrints for the Community’s inception, 44 organizations have been awarded 62 grants totaling more than $9 million. For more information, go to www.highmark.com/BluePrintsfortheCommunity.
