Saint Francis Hospital receives $1m grant from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware

Wilmington, Del. – (January 5, 2023) – Saint Francis Hospital is pleased to announce that it has received a grant of $1 million through Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware’s BluePrints for the Community program, to support The Healthy Village® at Saint Francis Hospital, a unique model of care that addresses the social influencers of health to form a single system of care. The grant funds will be used to begin the transformation of obsolete spaces, establish a home for a new care model, and support the provisions of enhanced services integrated with community-based programming and partners.

BluePrints for the Community, housed at the Delaware Community Foundation, has contributed over $30 million to the community since its inception in 2007. It was established to serve Delawareans, with emphasis on, but not limited to, the needs of the uninsured and underserved, and to reduce health care disparities in the minority population and address social determinants of health.

“We are extremely grateful to receive this very substantial grant from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware, and excited for the ways it will help improve the health and wellbeing of our patients and community members,” said Chris Cullom, president of Saint Francis Hospital.

Healthy Villages focus on improving quality of life and enriching the vitality of neighborhoods while protecting their heritages, histories and residents by working with community-based partners whose services address the drivers of health. The model has been in existence for more than 25 years; however, few have adopted it to the extent Saint Francis has while extending it into the community—making The Healthy Village at Saint Francis Hospital one of the first in the nation.

“Highmark is proud to support Saint Francis Hospital’s Healthy Village to improve the health of each individual it serves, while also improving the health of the whole community, by taking a sustainable and holistic approach to addressing social determinants,” said Nick Moriello, president of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware.

Learn more about the Healthy Village at Saint Francis Hospital.