AHN Receives Generous Grant from Jennie K. Scaife Charitable Foundation

Totaling $1.8 million, the funding will support several AHN programs designed to help address some of our region’s most pressing health and wellness issues

PITTSBURGH – Allegheny Health Network (AHN) announced today its Center for Inclusion Health (CIH), part of the AHN Medicine Institute, has again received generous grant funding from the Jennie K. Scaife Charitable Foundation in support of various programs within the Medicine Institute and AHN Women’s Institute. This marks the fourth annual charitable gift from the Foundation in support of AHN programs which are aimed at improved health equity across Western Pennsylvania.

This year’s gift will support AHN’s Healthy Food Centers, Perinatal Hope Program, Chronic Care Specialty Team, Intimate Partner Violence Program, and a mobile health clinic for people and their pets.

• Healthy Food Centers – A first-of-its-kind for the Greater Pittsburgh region, the AHN CIH Healthy Food Center’s six locations across the AHN footprint provide free, nutritious foods and nutrition counseling to patients who are food insecure and often struggle to properly manage health conditions. To date, more than 700,000 meals have been supplied by the Healthy Food Centers to more than 70,000 patients and their families. The program also operates five community gardens that provided over 2,600 pounds of produce to patients in 2025.

• Perinatal Hope Program – A comprehensive care model that supports pregnant and postpartum individuals with opioid use disorder by providing medications for opioid use disorder, drug and alcohol interventions, health and wellness education, social support services, and connection to community as part of their obstetrics care. Offered by the AHN Women’s Institute, the program was launched in 2016 at AHN West Penn Hospital. It has since expanded to AHN’s Jefferson, Forbes and Wexford hospitals in the Pittsburgh region, and AHN Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pa. 

• Chronic Care Specialty Team (CCST) – The CCST offers a distinctive model of care for individuals managing chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure, COPD, chronic kidney disease and diabetes. The multidisciplinary team—comprised of a pharmacist, behavioral health consultant, registered dietitian-nutritionist, social worker and nurse navigator—works collaboratively to remove health barriers, improve patient outcomes and reduce overall care costs. CCST is dedicated to serving all patients, regardless of insurance or ability to pay.

• Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Program – Launched in 2018, the AHN IPV program is anchored by a partnership between AHN CIH caregivers and medical advocates from Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh and Alle Kiski Hope Center – two Pittsburgh-based domestic violence organizations that serve as a counseling and resource center for victims of IPV and their families. The onsite medical advocates at AHN’s Allegheny General, Allegheny Valley, Forbes, Jefferson and Wexford hospitals, and Federal North Medical Building, provide real-time response to patients who disclose domestic violence via a social determinants of health assessment.

• Mobile health clinic for people and pets – This mobile clinic is staffed by caregivers who provide low- to no-cost veterinary care services, as well as health care and support services for pet owners. The clinics are intended for underserved individuals across the Greater Pittsburgh region who face financial hardship and other social challenges, such as housing instability and limited access to care.

"We are profoundly grateful for the Jennie K. Scaife Charitable Foundation's consistent and generous support over the past four years. Their continued partnership has been foundational to the success of these vital programs, enabling us to address critical health disparities in our community in more impactful ways," said Liz Cuevas, MD, division chief, AHN Center for Inclusion Health.

The Jennie K. Scaife Charitable Foundation was formed in 2020 under the will of Jennie K. Scaife, who is the granddaughter of banker and industrialist Richard B. Mellon, grandniece of Andrew W. Mellon and inheritor of a portion of the family’s fortune.

The Foundation supports programs that strengthen families, address issues surrounding the health and welfare of women and children, promote animal welfare and demonstrate the beneficial interaction between humans and animals.

To learn more, visit www.jkscharitablefoundation.org.

###

About AHN Center for Inclusion Health

AHN Center for Inclusion Health’s mission is to transform our health care system through the development of innovative clinical care models, advocacy, training & research to better serve all people, including those experiencing social & health exclusion. Founded in 2014, Center for Inclusion Health (CIH) serves populations that are traditionally unable to access quality health care services due to socioeconomic status, geographical location, systemic inequalities, lack of health insurance & discrimination based on race, ethnicity, & sexual preference. CIH envisions a health care system free from health & social inequities, especially for vulnerable & marginalized communities.