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The Caring Foundation of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama (BCBSAL) has pledged major ongoing funding for the launch of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences (ASHS), an innovative public specialty high school scheduled to open in fall 2026.

“We’re honored to partner with this leader in healthcare to fulfill our mission, and we’re grateful for the Caring Foundation’s substantial support to help transform both healthcare equity to rural communities in the state and opportunities for Alabama students to pursue in-demand careers,” said Rob Pearson, chairman of the ASHS Foundation.

Since 1990, The Caring Foundation has served as BCBSAL’s corporate charitable foundation, supporting programs to improve the health and well-being of Alabamians.

“We are proud to support the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences in Demopolis,” said Tim Vines, President and CEO of BCBSAL. “This program aligns perfectly with one of our top priorities which is to improve access to healthcare in rural areas of Alabama. We look forward to seeing the results of this partnership and reducing the rural healthcare workforce shortage.”

Through the ASHS Foundation, the innovative residential, state-wide, healthcare specialty high school is in a major fundraising push coinciding with a planned spring groundbreaking and recruitment of an executive director. Already, a leading national foundation and the State of Alabama have provided a total of more than $40 million financial support to the school, and the city of Demopolis has donated the location for the campus and $500,000 in funds for site preparation.

ASHS will offer a STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) based curriculum focused on healthcare. Through partnerships with regional and statewide health systems, educational institutions and communities, it will serve to alleviate the critical rural healthcare workforce shortage in Alabama while providing skilled professional training for in-demand jobs to low-income youth.

It will be the fourth in a network of tuition-free public residential specialty high schools in Alabama, which includes campuses offering focused coursework and workforce training in the fields of math and science, cyber technology and engineering, and fine arts.