Mayor O’Connor Announces Five-Year Financial Partnership with Highmark and UPMC

Highmark will be investing $20 million to further support the public safety bureaus that provide first-response emergency medical care. The $4 million a year over five years will be invested in resources that medical first responders need with a primary initial focus on Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire vehicles. 

“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. We appreciate their shared interest and investment in serving the health and safety of our communities,” said Mayor O'Connor.   

"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,” said David Holmberg, CEO of Highmark Health. “Highmark Health is an organization that takes enormous pride in stepping up when and where our communities need us most.  From addressing the health needs of marginalized populations through programs like our Center for Inclusion Health, to providing support for grieving children and families at The Caring Place, to playing a central role in the city’s incredible downtown revitalization over the past 24 months - answering the call is in our DNA.  But it truly does take a village to create and sustain healthy, thriving communities, and we applaud Mayor O’Connor for his leadership in bringing together a coalition of organizations dedicated to forging a brighter future for this city and everyone who calls it home.”    

In addition to their $10 million donation for the EMS fleet in January, UPMC will be investing an additional $25 million over five years for EMS vehicles and equipment. Their total commitment of $35 million will allow the City of Pittsburgh’s Bureau of EMS to modernize their capital resources to reliably provide advance life support to the community.   

“I’d like to thank UPMC for this additional investment in our communities,” said Mayor O’Connor. “This incredible commitment will help both our EMS and their medical professionals to continue partnering to provide world-class healthcare service to anyone experiencing an emergency in the City of Pittsburgh.”   

“At UPMC, caring for Pittsburgh is at the core of who we are,” said Leslie Davis, President and CEO, UPMC. “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.” 

In total, Mayor O’Connor has confirmed over $70 million in funding from local partners including The Benter Foundation, Carnegie Mellon University, Heinz Endowments, Pennsylvania Laborers’ District Council, Pirates Charities, PNC, Richard King Mellon Foundation and the University of Pittsburgh.