Highmark Caring Place [Northwestern PA]
510 Cranberry Street, Bayview Office Park, Building 2
Erie, PA, 16507
[Former Pittsburgh Steeler Merril Hoge has been Chairman of the Board of the Highmark Caring Foundation since 1999.]
THE FOCUS OF THE HIGHMARK CARING PLACE
The Highmark Caring Place, a Center for Grieving Children, Adolescents and Their Families, is dedicated to grieving children and families, working to ensure that they find hope.
The Caring Place champions the cause of grieving children by creating awareness of their needs, providing programs for grieving children and families and empowering the community to effectively serve grieving children.
The Caring Place was started in 1996, with the first Caring Place facility established in Pittsburgh in 1997. Now with sites in Erie (2001) and just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (2003), the Caring Place has served more than 15,000 family members and community members.
The Caring Place:
*Helps children (and adults) know they're not alone in their grief.
*Provides peer support to children and families who are grieving the death of a loved one.
*Provides a safe place with safe people so that the children can share their grief, their feelings and their memories.
*Is a place where grieving children and families receive support and encouragement from others their age and from trained adult volunteers.
*Helps children build and keep memories of the person who died.
*Encourages children to express their feelings, memories and thoughts even when these are difficult to express.
The Caring Place is family-centered. Services are provided at no cost to the families. The Caring Place is a community service, available to the whole community.
THE HIGHMARK CARING PLACE AS A PART OF THE HIGHMARK CARING FOUNDATION
The Caring Place is a program of the Highmark Caring Foundation, which is an affiliate of Highmark Blue Shield, the largest health insurer in Pennsylvania.
HIGHMARK CARING FOUNDATION MISSION
The Caring Foundation exists to make a difference for those in need — especially children and the uninsured.
The Caring Foundation is dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for children in need and their families.
The Caring Foundation creates innovative models that change systems of care for children and the uninsured.
The heart of the Caring Foundation is its commitment to children in need — children who are uninsured, grieving the death of a loved one or facing the challenge of a special health care need.
FIVE GUIDING PRINCIPLES
1. Identify an unmet need for children in the community.
2. Champion the cause and advocate for children in need.
3. Serve as a catalyst for change.
4. Create innovative programs that can be replicated or driven to scale.
5. Build partnerships and mobilize the community to work together to help children in need.
The Highmark Caring Foundation has been committed since 1985 to caring for those in need:
1. Listening and responding to the needs of the underserved, at-risk and vulnerable populations.
2. Uninsured Children — Serving the uninsured through the pioneering Caring Program for Children—the first private sector program in the nation focusing on the needs of uninsured children—and now administering Pennsylvania's CHIP and adultBasic programs.
3. Grieving Children — Meeting the needs of grieving children and families through the Highmark Caring Place, a Center for Grieving Children, Adolescents and Their Families, at sites in Pittsburgh, Erie and Central Pennsylvania.
4. Special Needs Children — Prioritizing children with special health care needs and their families and creating a care coordination model of care.
THE HIGHMARK CARING PLACE SUPPORTED BY THE CARING TEAM
A consistent long-term supporter of the Caring Place is the Caring Team for Children, a special team of hundreds of schools, businesses and community partners that work together to raise funds and increase community awareness for the needs of children.
Since 1989, this partnership of 450 schools, professional sports teams, corporations and many others has raised awareness along with more than $4.5 million for children in need.
The Caring Team provides a fun way for schools to help children and families in their own school districts and communities while offering school teachers and administrators a way to teach students about the importance of teamwork and helping others.
Caring Team faculty, staff and students have the opportunity to tour Caring Place facilities to help educate students and teachers about children's grief while school personnel can receive written educational resources about the needs of grieving children.
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I have already contacted the Manager of the Pittsburgh facility, The Caring Place, prior to e-mailing you. I would like to see your service multiplied in the Western KY area. I experience bereaved children and teens as I work day to day in the funeral industry.
Also, on a personal level, my own children lost their biological father through death.
This is a much needed service in our community. Share with me how we might “jumpstart” a service of this nature in our area please.
Any information you can supply me is more than appreciated. I will do all that I can to bring other caregivers on board to service the needs of these youth.
In fact, we had a school tragedy a few years ago in the Heath High School area near Paducah. It was portrayed on National News at that time.
Please advise as to your ability to assist me.
Thanks.
I am interested in knowing if you received my comment today regarding assistance from your organization in starting this service in my own area. Thanks.
Brenda Hughes Allcock, VP
Hughes Funeral Home, Inc.
2975 Old Husband Road
Paducah, KY 42003
270-415-1885
FAX: 270-415-1882
http://www.hughesfuneral.com