D'Youville University Receives $200,000 Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Fund Grant to Launch Behavioral Health Wraparound Care Program

BUFFALO, NEW YORK – D'Youville University has received a $200,000 grant from the 2026 Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Fund to launch Vital Connect: Behavioral Health Wraparound Care Program, an initiative designed to improve access to mental and behavioral health services for individuals throughout the Western New York community.

Anchored at Vital Pharmacy on the D’Youville campus in west Buffalo and delivered in partnership with the D’Youville Community Counseling Center, Vital Connect will create a coordinated model of behavioral health care that combines medication support, counseling, peer engagement, telehealth, community outreach, and connections to essential social services. The program is particularly focused on individuals who face barriers to traditional behavioral health care, including transportation challenges, provider shortages, cost, and stigma.

Image

“This investment from the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Fund gives us the opportunity to build a behavioral health model around the places and relationships people already trust,” said Dr. Alyssa Wozniak, assistant dean for clinical affairs and residency program director at Vital Pharmacy. “By connecting pharmacy services with counseling, telehealth, peer support, and proactive care coordination, we can reach people earlier, help them remain engaged in treatment and reduce some of the barriers that too often keep individuals from receiving the care they need.”

Through Vital Pharmacy, participants will have access to behavioral health screening, medication education and adherence support, monitoring, and follow-up. Counseling and therapy services will be coordinated with D’Youville’s mental health programs, while peer supporters and community health workers will provide navigation, mentorship, and assistance with continued engagement. The program will also incorporate screening and referrals for social determinants of health, including food access, housing, transportation, and financial or insurance assistance.

Image

The initiative will also provide D’Youville students from multiple health professions with supervised, hands-on opportunities to participate in behavioral health screening and education, medication counseling, peer engagement, and team-based care coordination. This approach allows students to learn alongside other health professionals while helping address pressing community health needs.

“Preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals requires us to move beyond traditional classroom and simulation experiences and give students opportunities to participate in truly integrated patient care,” said Dr. Canio Marasco, dean of D’Youville’s School of Pharmacy. 

“The support allows us to bring together education, clinical practice, and community engagement in a way that benefits both our students and the Western New Yorkers we serve. Just as importantly, this grant provides the critical start-up investment needed to establish a program we intend to incorporate into D’Youville’s long-term university and clinical operations.” -Dr. Canio Marasco

D’Youville expects to use the Blue Fund grant during calendar years 2027 and 2028 to establish the clinical, care-coordination, technology, outreach, and evaluation infrastructure required to launch and refine Vital Connect. The University’s sustainability strategy calls for progressively integrating the program into existing university operations, clinical programs, interprofessional education, and community partnerships so that its core services can continue beyond the grant period.

Image

Vital Connect will also strengthen collaboration with community behavioral health providers, schools and youth-serving organizations, faith-based and community organizations, and local agencies, and referral networks. Together, these partnerships are intended to extend the program’s reach while ensuring that services remain responsive to community needs.

The award is part of the 2026 Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Fund, which supports initiatives designed to advance the health and well-being of communities across Western New York.

For more information on D'Youville University, visit dyu.edu. For more information on Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, visit highmark.com.

About D’Youville University 

D’Youville University is a nationally ranked private university founded in 1908 and headquartered in Buffalo, New York, which offers degrees in the health sciences, business and marketing. D’Youville University promotes a healthy mind, body, and spirit. Through transformational educational experiences, students are prepared for growth, career success, and upward mobility. For more information, visit dyu.edu.  

About Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is a trade name of Highmark Western and Northeastern New York Inc., independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Since 1936, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield has helped millions of people lead healthier lives. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield offers a full range of insured, self-insured, and government programs and services covering businesses, families, and individuals, as well as dental and vision plans and stop-loss coverage. As a community-based, not-for-profit health plan, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield contributes significantly to organizations that strengthen and enrich the health of the community.

About Blue Fund

Blue Fund, funded solely by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, awards major grants in Western New York annually, to organizations and initiatives that have a positive impact on key health areas and will demonstrate enhanced measurable outcomes for community health metrics. These include behavioral health, cardiovascular health, health care workforce development and maternal health. Blue Fund is part of Highmark’s Bright Blue Futures community giving and involvement program.