The Aetna Foundation Helps Improve the Health of 25 Communities Nationwide Through More Than $2 Million in Grants

Approximately 60 percent of a person’s life expectancy is driven by factors outside of the doctor’s office – our individual behaviors, as well as social and environmental factors1. As part of its continued effort to address social determinants of health, the Aetna Foundation announced today more than $2 million in grants to 25 nonprofit organizations across the U.S., as part of its Cultivating Healthy Communities initiative.

Grants from the Cultivating Healthy Communities initiative support organizations working to address social determinants of health, like access to healthy food and safe places to play. These grants are being made at a time when more than 42 million individuals in the United States live with food insecurity2 and one out of three adults is obese, putting them at risk for heart disease, stroke and type two diabetes3.

“Building a healthier world starts at the grassroots level, in communities committed to making a difference,” said Mark Bertolini, the chairman of the Aetna Foundation and the chairman and CEO of Aetna. “This year’s Cultivating Healthy Communities grantees are designing local solutions to local problems, and striving to improve the health of their communities.”

Bertolini will discuss the Cultivating Healthy Communities initiative as part of his keynote session on November 2 at the U.S. News and World Report Healthcare of Tomorrow forum in Washington, D.C. His conversation with Brian Kelly, U.S. News editor and chief content officer, will begin at approximately 1:45 p.m. Eastern. More information on the conference is available at www.usnewshot.com.

A key focus of the Cultivating Healthy Communities grants will be expanding access to spaces that promote active living and healthy eating. Nearly $1 million will support projects that will enhance the physical spaces people use in their everyday lives, such as routes for walking and biking, and the retail spaces or gardens that bring fresh foods to communities without easy access to grocery stores. The lack of sidewalks, bike paths and recreational areas in some communities discourages physical activity and contributes to obesity4. Not only are people in low-income and minority neighborhoods more likely to live in food deserts, they also have fewer recreational facilities than wealthier and predominantly white communities, a factor that may contribute to ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in obesity rates5.

In addition, minority groups are more at-risk for exposure to unhealthy air conditions. African-Americans, Latinos and Asians are the most likely to live in communities that are heavily affected by pollution and environmental hazards such as high concentrations of pesticides6. A total investment of $300,000 will support projects that are focused on reversing air quality disparities and decreasing exposure to dangerous chemicals.

Since 2016, the Aetna Foundation has awarded more than $4 million in grants through Cultivating Healthy Communities, which is a key part of the Foundation’s overall multimillion-dollar commitment to building a healthier world, community by community.

This year, grants have been awarded to the following programs:

About The Aetna Foundation

The Aetna Foundation is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna (NYSE:AET). As a national health foundation, we promote wellness, health, and access to high-quality health care for everyone. This work is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna employees, who volunteered 430,000 hours in 2016 alone. For more information, visit www.aetna-foundation.org.

1 Kaiser Family Foundation: “Beyond Health Care: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity”. https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/issue-brief/beyond-health-care-the-role-of-social-determinants-in-promoting-health-and-health-equity/
2Feeding America: “Poverty and hunger in America”. http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-and-poverty-facts.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Adult Obesity Facts”. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
4National Institutes of Health: “Obesity, physical activity, and the urban environment: public health research needs”. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1586006/
5Harvard School of Public Health: “Environmental Barriers to Activity”. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/physical-activity-environment/
6 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report – United States, 2013”. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/other/su6203.pdf

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