By Paul J. Gough – Reporter, Pittsburgh Business Times
Updated
Highmark awarded a $1 million grant to South Side-based Achieva to build a home transition program for children with complex medical needs.
The grant will bolster the Beyond Boundaries initiative Achieva already has in place, allowing for children and families to be living together at home instead of at a hospital or an extended care facility. Achieva’s program through the grant will provide case management and clinical oversight, navigation of red tape, home-based medical equipment and technology as well as home modifications, and coordinated care.
“Every child deserves to grow up in a loving family environment, not in a hospital room. This generous support from Highmark will allow us to build service capacity and remove barriers that keep medically complex children separated from their families, creating a clear pathway home,” said Achieva President/CEO Steve Suroviec.
Highmark Health SVP Community Affairs and Highmark Foundation President Kenya T. Boswell said Achieva’s approach was innovative and the insurer was proud to support it.
“This program represents exactly the kind of solution that can transform lives while reducing long-term care costs,” Boswell said.
The program is designed to reduce institutional placements and build up family bonds and outcomes for medically vulnerable children.
The Pittsburgh-based Achieva was founded in 1951 and serves western Pennsylvania with early intervention, therapy, housing options, employment and special needs trusts. It is one of the 60 biggest nonprofit organizations in the Pittsburgh region, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times Book of Lists. Headquartered on Bingham Street in the South Side, it had most recently reported revenue of $50.077 million and 685 employees.