Health care tech firm donates $20,000 to celebrate its 20th anniversary

Aug. 22—FAIRMONT — A Fairmont company has taken the company anniversary celebration to a whole new level.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, officials at Healthcare Management Solutions LLC decided to give $1,000 to 20 different nonprofit organizations in North Central West Virginia, many of which are in Marion County, for a total of $20,000.

"We are proud to share some of the fruits of our own 20 years of success with 20 deserving nonprofit organizations," HMS President Leah Heimbach said, in a press release. "These charitable donations not only amplify the spirit of our work protecting vulnerable populations, they also help make our local communities safer, stronger, and healthier."

Here's a list of the 20 organizations selected to receive donations.

Milan Puskar Health Right/Friendship House, of Morgantown, which provides peer-recovery programs to people living with substance use disorder and other mental health challenges. Health Right also funds and operates Friendship Fairmont at the corner of Locust and Cleveland avenues.

Health Access Inc., of Clarksburg, works to eliminate disparities for those who lack access to basic health care. They help residents in Harrison and Doddridge counties, obtain primary and specialty care, prescription medications, cancer screenings, vision, dental, and more, all at no cost.

The Disability Action Center, of Fairmont, is a comprehensive education, training and enrichment center for more than 450 children and adults with disabilities and their families in North Central West Virginia.

Marion County Humane Society, of Fairmont, is a nonprofit, no-kill animal welfare organization that provides care for more than 5,000 animals annually.

Hope Inc. Domestic Violence Center, of Fairmont, provides resources and services to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and human tracking victims in Marion, Harrison, Doddridge, Gilmer, and Lewis counties, ensuring their safety, encouraging self-sufficiency, and promoting lives free of violence.

CASA of Marion County, which is based in Fairmont, advocates, educates and promotes the welfare of children in Marion County who have been abused and neglected, by harnessing the talents of community volunteers who ensure the children are provided with safe and permanent homes.

Pet Helpers Inc., of Fairmont, is a nonprofit, all-volunteer foster network for homeless animals waiting for their forever homes. With no facility or paid staff, all funds go to veterinary care, food, and medications for the animals.

Soup Opera, of Fairmont, serves a daily meal seven days a week, 365 days a year, to 100+ people in need per day in Marion County and surrounding areas. Sobrania Inc./Soup Opera also provides hygiene products and showers, clothing, blankets, dishes and more as available.

Stepping Stone Inc., of Fairmont, is a community-based treatment facility serves adolescent males ages 14 — 17 and transitioning adult males ages 18 — 21, who are in the custody of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, are victims of abuse or neglect and/or stepped down from higher level treatment or out of state placement, and have disruptive behaviors and emotional distress. The program teaches residents to respect themselves, their community, their parents, police, public officials, adults and their peers.

Tygart Valley United Way, which has offices in Fairmont and Elkins, provides funding to multiple nonprofit organizations in a five-county area that improve the lives of others. This year, United Way is focusing on families who have jobs but do not qualify for any type of state or federal assistance, but simply cannot get by.

The Op Shop, of Fairmont, is a not-for-profit community rehabilitation program that creates opportunities for adults with disabilities in sheltered or competitive employment. Services include independent living skills, life skills training, job placement, job coaching, work adjustment, and supported employment.

Pressley Ridge, of Morgantown, provides families and individuals with support and hope, through assistance with foster care and adoption, community-based and in-home services, outpatient services, specialized education, autism services, residential services and transition-age services.

March of Dimes, of Arlington, Virginia, has been fighting for the health of moms and babies for 80 years, supporting research, leading programs, and providing education and advocacy so that every family can have the best possible start.

WV Rescues Ministries/Union Mission, of Fairmont, provides physical and spiritual services to those in need in West Virginia through a men's shelter, women's and children's shelter, family shelter, soup kitchen, thrift store and living room, no one is turned away and all have access to hot meals and shelter.

Connecting Link, of Fairmont, addresses individuals' immediate needs in crisis and assists with locating resources for residents of North Central West Virginia, including help with utility termination, prescriptions, transportation, eviction and first month's rent.

Genesis Youth Crisis Center, of Clarksburg, provides a safe, temporary place for children to stay until permanent placement arrangements can be made.

Bi-County Nutrition Program, with offices in Nutter Fort, Salem, and Shinnston, provides congregate and home-delivered meals, nutrition education, and referrals for those 60 years and older, their spouses, and their disabled dependent children.

WV Coalition to End Homelessness, of Bridgeport, assists agencies and communities in West Virginia where homelessness is either a prevalent or a hidden issue, to ensure that no child, veteran, or family enters homelessness in the first place. Housing people is the only way we'll end homelessness.

The Clarksburg Mission Community provides comfort, reassurance and resources to those in need, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, food, assistance, and more.

Clarksburg Mustard Seed is a food pantry serving people in the community free of charge with food, clothing, cleaning and hygiene items, as well as household items. The pantry also accepts donations for those in need.

HMS uses a mix of health care and technology expertise to create cost-effective solutions that federal and state agencies and our private-sector partners need to ensure nursing home residents and other health care settings get the best care possible no matter where in the U.S.

Reach Eric Cravey at 304-367-2523.