PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor has announced a five-year funding partnership with the city’s two largest health care providers, Highmark and UPMC.
This combined $55 million commitment from Highmark and UPMC represents the latest funding initiative secured by the O’Connor Administration for investment in the future of Pittsburgh.
Highmark will invest $20 million to further support public safety bureaus that provide first-response emergency medical care. This commitment translates to $4 million annually over five years, with an initial focus on acquiring new vehicles for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire.
Mayor Corey O’Connor praised Highmark’s contribution, stating, “Highmark’s generous, sustained commitment is an investment in making sure that our first responders have the equipment to provide proper care, reliable vehicles to respond and facilities that ensure the highest quality of service for years to come.” O’Connor added, “We appreciate their shared interest and investment in serving the health and safety of our communities.”
Highmark Health CEO David Holmberg spoke about his organization’s foundational mission as a civic partner.
“At Highmark Health, being a great civic partner is fundamental to our mission and today is another important milestone in our commitment to the health and vitality of this amazing city,” Holmberg said.
He highlighted Highmark Health’s pride in supporting communities, mentioning efforts such as addressing health needs of marginalized populations through the Center for Inclusion Health, aiding grieving children and families at The Caring Place and playing a central role in downtown revitalization over the past 24 months.
UPMC is committing an additional $25 million over five years for EMS vehicles and equipment. This new investment follows a $10 million donation from UPMC for the EMS fleet made in January, bringing their total commitment to $35 million. This funding will enable the City of Pittsburgh’s Bureau of EMS to modernize its capital resources to reliably provide advanced life support to the community.
“I’d like to thank UPMC for this additional investment in our communities,” O’Connor said. “This incredible commitment will help both our EMS and their medical professionals to continue partnering to provide world-class health care service to anyone experiencing an emergency in the City of Pittsburgh.”
President Leslie Davis and CEO of UPMC, affirmed UPMC’s dedication to Pittsburgh.
“At UPMC, caring for Pittsburgh is at the core of who we are,” Davis said. “Our $10 million investment in January helped meet an urgent need and today’s commitment builds on that progress—reflecting our enduring responsibility to the community and ensuring City of Pittsburgh EMS teams can deliver fast, reliable, lifesaving care when it matters most.”
City Controller Rachael Heisler released the following statement following the announcement:
“This partnership represents a major milestone in the City of Pittsburgh’s history – one that many of us have said for years was essential to our future. I commend Mayor O’Connor for making this a priority and getting the deal done at a time when the City is in urgent need of new revenue. And I thank UPMC and Highmark for stepping up and showing their commitment to the City and their shared responsibility for ensuring we have the resources we need to provide essential services. I hope that this agreement will serve as the standard for subsequent agreements with our other large nonprofits as we all work together to get through these challenging budgetary years and stay focused on growing our population and our economy.
“My commitment to City residents is to provide complete transparency and accountability. We will track every dollar so we know how this money is spent and how it benefits City residents.”
In total, Mayor O’Connor has confirmed over $70 million in funding from various local partners. These partners include The Benter Foundation, Carnegie Mellon University, Heinz Endowments, Pa. Laborers’ District Council, Pirates Charities, PNC, Richard King Mellon Foundation and the University of Pittsburgh.
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