Horizon Goodwill Awards Mission Partner of Year to Employee Benefits Services

May 11, 2023

Horizon Goodwill Awards Mission Partner of Year to Employee Benefits Services

(Hagerstown, Maryland, May 2023) Employee Benefits Services was named “Mission Partner of the Year” at Horizon Goodwill Industries’ (HGI) 68th Annual Power of Work Awards. The event, held in Hagerstown on May 3, 2023, is scheduled annually to coincide with National Goodwill Week.

The Power of Work Awards recognizes HGI’s participants’ and community partners’ hard work, dedication, and mission support each year. These individuals and businesses embody the HGI Mission of Removing Barriers and Creating Opportunities for employment throughout their four-state territory.

This year, nearly 150 people were in attendance including local officials, program participants, staff, representatives from partnering organizations, and community members.

The Mission Partner of the Year award recognizes a business or organization that provides aid or has otherwise supported Horizon Goodwill in its efforts to assist individuals with overcoming barriers to employment, thereby helping Goodwill fulfill its mission.

Horizon Goodwill’s leadership team has committed to integrating their mission of removing barriers and creating opportunities into their daily business practices. This includes recognizing the need to support their employees with the same compassion and creativity used to support program participants. Like many of the individuals served by HGI’s mission team, access to affordable healthcare presents a challenge to its employees. Employee Benefits Services Solutions (EBS) was an early adopter of the mission integration philosophy and quickly helped HGI find affordable healthcare solutions that met their employees’ needs. EBS has been on the front lines advocating for HGI, removing barriers to access to quality care, and creating opportunities for HGI employees to manage their health while keeping overall program costs lower than more traditional solutions.

Ben Bohonowicz, Director of Client Services for EBS, stated “We are honored to be named Horizon Goodwill’s 2022 Mission Partner of The Year. This recognition means a lot to us, as we’ve long admired the incredible work this organization does to empower individuals and strengthen our community.”

“As a Mission Partner, we have had the privilege of collaborating with Horizon Goodwill on various healthcare initiatives that align with our shared goal of helping to improve better access to care, putting people first, and putting money back into members’ pockets.” He added.

Horizon Goodwill Awards Employer of the Year to Meritus Health

May 5, 2023

Horizon Goodwill Awards Employer of the Year to Meritus Health

(Hagerstown, Maryland, May 2023) Meritus Health was named “Employer of the Year” at Horizon Goodwill Industries’ (HGI) 68th Annual Power of Work Awards. The event, held in Hagerstown on May 3, 2023, is scheduled annually to coincide with National Goodwill Week.

This year, nearly 150 people were in attendance including local officials, program participants, staff, representatives from partnering organizations, and community members.

The Employer of the Year Award recognizes an employer who has demonstrated outstanding support for assisting individuals by hiring program graduates or otherwise contributing to greater outplacement of program participants through their partnering with Horizon Goodwill Industries.

Meritus Health was selected because of its community support and work connecting people with sustainable employment opportunities. A team consisting of members representing Meritus Health, HGI, and Maryland Physicians Care (MPC) developed an innovative pilot program called “Pathways to Healthcare Careers,” which places low/moderate income candidates directly into living wage positions in one of five identified divisions at Meritus with support from HGI and MPC.

In addition to partnering on this innovative employment program, Meritus Health has also worked with HGI on several other health and community development initiatives. The two organizations successfully obtained funding from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) SEED fund. The SEED Community Development Anchor Institution Fund will aid in creating a full-service grocery store operated by HGI in the Hagerstown downtown core on Prospect St. This project aims to improve community economic and health outcomes by offering affordable healthy food options in the city.

Further collaborative efforts to improve access to healthcare resulted in the award of funds from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission’s “Pathways to Health Equity” program. This resulting project is known as the Hagerstown Health HUB. The two-year grant supports a primary care office at HGI’s downtown Hagerstown location. Meritus Health will provide a full-time nurse practitioner to staff the site. Patients will not be turned away based on insurance status; they will be seen and then connected to a healthcare navigator to assist them in obtaining health insurance.

“At Meritus, we are passionate about our community, and when we find team members who share that passion, it’s a natural fit. We’ve been so fortunate to find team members through this program who want to make a positive impact on their community,” said Dave Lehr, chief strategy officer for Meritus Health. “We’re honored to receive this award from Horizon Goodwill, but we’re even more honored to be able to share the outcomes of our initiatives that demonstrate not only the power of work but the power of working together,” he said.