(WILMINGTON, Del. — Dec. 5, 2024)

ChristianaCare has been awarded a $250,000 grant from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware (Highmark Delaware) to enhance outreach services for Medicare-eligible patients in Delaware.

Funded through HighmarkDelaware’s BluePrints for the Community program, the grant will fund the first ChristianaCare Community Health Worker (CHW) program dedicated to offering comprehensive support to eligible Medicare patients throughout the state, ensuring these individuals have access to essential resources and assistance, regardless of their insurance provider.

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“This initiative is aimed at reducing disparities among senior patients throughout Delaware and aligns directly with ChristianaCare’s mission to serve our neighbors as expert and compassionate partners in their health,” said Christine Donohue-Henry, M.D., MBA, chief population health officer at ChristianaCare.

“We are dedicated to creating innovative, effective, affordable and equitable healthcare systems that meet the needs of our community, ensuring that all individuals receive the quality health care they deserve,” she said.

A CHW serves as a frontline liaison, helping individuals and families navigate the health, social and community service systems to promote health and well-being.

The new program will enable ChristianaCare’s CHWs to broaden their outreach to eligible older adults. This effort will involve conducting screenings to identify the social care needs of these patients. Additionally, referrals will be made through the Unite Us platform, which enables ChristianaCare caregivers to connect patients with vital community resources.

“Community Health Workers are an essential part of the care team for the appropriate patient,” said Erin Booker, LPC, chief biopsychosocial officer for ChristianaCare. “They are able to perform roles that differ from nurses, doctors, and social workers and create a more holistic model of care. The Community Health Worker serves as an essential link between the health care system and the community.

“By utilizing this grant to establish the program and demonstrate its effectiveness and the positive outcomes in both patient health and social needs, we can lay the groundwork for future investments. This project aligns perfectly with ChristianaCare’s mission to enhance the health and well-being of older adults across the state,” Booker said.

Housed by the Delaware Community Foundation, HighmarkDelaware’s BluePrints for the Community has contributed over $35 million to the community since its inception in 2007. It was established to increase access to care and reduce health care disparities in Delaware.

“We are proud to invest in ChristianaCare’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of older adults in Delaware,” said Nick Moriello, president of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware. “This BluePrints for the Community investment empowers ChristianaCare to expand their outreach program, ensuring that Medicare-eligible patients have access to essential services and resources. By addressing health and social needs, we can work together to create a healthier and more equitable community for all.”

“On behalf of the entire ChristianaCare family, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Nick Moriello and the team at the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware for their partnership and generous gift,” said Dia Williams Adams, MPA, vice president of philanthropy at ChristianaCare.

For more information about ways to support ChristianaCare’s mission of service to the community, https://christianacare.org/us/en/make-a-gift

About Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware serves approximately 500,000 members through the company’s health care benefits business. It is an influential company in than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs across the state. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware has been named a Top Workplace in Delaware and a Top Workplace USA. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information, visit www.highmarkbcbsde.com.

About the Delaware Community Foundation?

The mission of the Delaware Community Foundation is to improve the lives of the people of Delaware by empowering and growing philanthropy through knowledge and relationships, now and in the future. As a facilitator, information resource and manager of charitable funds, the DCF helps communities and philanthropists focus charitable resources for the greatest community benefit statewide. For more information, visit delcf.org or call 302.571.8004.

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About ChristianaCare

Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country’s most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, and innovating to make high-quality care more accessible, equitable and affordable. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of primary care and outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, three hospitals (1,430 beds), a freestanding emergency department, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women’s health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute.

ChristianaCare is nationally recognized as a great place to work, rated by Forbes as one of the nation’s best employers for diversity and inclusion. ChristianaCare is rated by Newsweek as one of the World’s Best Hospitals and is continually ranked among the best in the U.S. in national quality and safety ratings. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. With its groundbreaking Center for Virtual Health and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care.

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