A collaborative effort
Aremarkable public- private collaboration will bring a much- needed facility for the homeless to the city, but it also marks something else significant — a spirit of cooperation between the region’s two largest health care systems.
After years of sparring, litigation, claims and counter- claims, it is encouraging to see Highmark and UPMC join with other stakeholders in contributing to the $ 21 million project.
The 45,000- square- foot first- of- itskind facility to be built on Second Avenue near the Municipal Courts building will provide not only shortand long- term shelter for the city’s homeless but also services such as a clinic for physical and behavioral growth; alcohol and drug treatment programs; a drop- in center with personal hygiene facilities, laundry and other client services; mail services; and a library and computer rooms.
Highmark and the PNC Foundation each contributed $ 5 million toward the project, while UPMC is providing $ 5 million of in- kind services.
The spirit of cooperation is a far cry from the acrimony and vitriol that dominated the relationship between Highmark and UPMC over the past several years as each sought dominance in the region’s health care market. The two companies finally reached a settlement on access to facilities in June 2019, and they both joined a consortium of regional health systems and hospitals formed to address the COVID- 19 pandemic.
The thawing of the relationship between the two health care systems is a welcome sign for consumers, but it also offers promise of future publicprivate collaborations that could look to the pair for support.
The homeless shelter project includes a host of other public and private partners who were involved in the development and design of the facility. Representatives of the organizations all agreed that public- private collaborations of this type are needed to improve communities in a timely and efficient manner.
Highmark Health Executive Vice President Dan Onorato said, “We are a stronger community when we all work collaboratively to address issues and solve problems that impact our region.”
Hopefully, this project will be the start of many others where the region’s leading organizations come together in a spirit of collaboration.