A big investment for healthy communities in Wilmington – 1150AM/101.7FM WDEL
Healthy Communities Delaware is getting an injection of three million dollars through a public-private investment from the State of Delaware and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware.
Highmark is matching the state’s $1.5 million investment in the program.
Governor John Carney said he got word of the matching grant funds from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware President Nick Moriello.
“He didn’t see me but I did a back flip on the other end of the line,” said Carney.
“This Healthy Delaware initiative is so incredibly important to meeting our obligation to every Delawarean to make sure everyone has an opportunity to be successful and healthy in life,” said Carney.
Stuart Comstock-Gay, President and CEO of Delaware Community Foundation, and Managing Partner, Healthy Communities Delaware, said it’s not a short term effort, but more on the line of ten years.
“This is generational change we’re trying to support,” said Comstock-Gay.
For Pastor Margaret Moon Taylor, Executive Director, Be Ready Community Development Corporation, it means support for their ongoing work.
“After school programming, summer camps, transitional housing for men coming out of incarceration,” said Moon Taylor, “and most recently as the Governor pointed to our Solomon’s Court affordable housing project.”
Highmark’s investment is through its BluePrints for the Community fund.
“This grant fund supports health focused programs and projects really all throughout the state,” said Moriello. “In 2022 BluePrints has had the honor to investment more than $3 million throughout the state, investing in programs that really focus around equity, inclusion, health disparities, trying to level out the playing field.”
Since 2007, Moriello said BluePrints has invested more than $28 million dollars in Delaware.