AHN Receives Nearly $2 Million in Grant Funding from Jennie K. Scaife Charitable Foundation

Funding will support several AHN programs designed to help address some of our region’s most pressing health and wellness issues, including addiction, food insecurity and chronic disease management 

PITTSBURGH – Allegheny Health Network (AHN) announced today its Center for Inclusion Health (CIH) has again received generous grant funding from the Jennie K. Scaife Charitable Foundation in support of various AHN programs aimed at improving health equity across Western Pennsylvania.

Totaling approximately $1.8 million, this marks the second annual charitable gift from the Foundation in support of four unique programs, including AHN’s Perinatal Hope Program, Healthy Food Center, Chronic Care Specialty Team, and the Humane Health Coalition (a partnership between Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh and AHN CIH).

“At AHN, we know that truly caring for the community often means going beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics to meet people where they are and provide the whole person care they need. This work is carried out every day by AHN’s caregivers and staff who are committed to serving others, and is made possible given the generous support of like-minded partners such as the Jennie K. Scaife Charitable Foundation,” said Mitch Beckman, chief development officer, Highmark Health & AHN. “We are deeply grateful to the Foundation for their continued support of AHN and these vital community health programs.”

A large portion of the funding will be directed toward the AHN 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.

The Perinatal Hope 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.

The grant funding will also continue to support operations at the AHN Healthy Food Centers. A first-of-its-kind for the Greater Pittsburgh region, the Healthy Food Centers’ 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 380,000 meals have been supplied by the Healthy Food Centers to more than 38,000 patients and their families.

The AHN Chronic Care Specialty Team (CCST) within the AHN Medicine Institute will also receive a portion of the funding. For those managing symptoms related to chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure, COPD, chronic kidney disease and diabetes, the multi-disciplinary CCST takes a team-based approach to helping patients achieve better symptom control and lower their risk of complications.

Funding will also be directed toward the Humane Health Coalition, a partnership between Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh (HARP) and AHN launched in 2023. A key component of the Coalition is a mobile clinic 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.

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 in banking, oil and metals.

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.

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