South Carolina’s division of BlueCross BlueShield healthcare recently committed more than $6 million to help the state’s five private historically black institutions to provide technology and financial aid support to students during the COVID-19 response period.
The healthcare company announced the gift last week, which will be divided among Allen University, Benedict College, Claflin University, Morris College, and Voorhees College to fund distance learning technology and training, and scholarships.
From a release:
The donation is to be allocated based on enrollment levels for specific priorities. Guidelines for funding include focusing on immediate gaps such as technology support. Some of the investment will help these schools cover operational costs and budget shortfalls. Most funding, however, will support specific priorities identified by the institutions themselves.
“It has been well reported that the coronavirus revealed our minority communities encounter profound disparities in many ways,” said David Pankau, president and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. “At BlueCross, we believe healthy communities are defined not only by access to health care services, but also by the fostering of opportunity that comes from education, employment and the potential for an improved quality of life for everyone.”
