Aetna and the Aetna Foundation Award $2.25 Million in Grants to Address End-of-Life Care and Depression
Aetna (NYSE: AET) and the Aetna Foundation have awarded $2.25 million in 10 separate grants for programs across the country that address end-of-life care and depression. Many of the grants are specifically designed to ensure quality care for racially and ethnically diverse populations.
The grants fund a variety of programs with national, regional, state and citywide impact targeting men, women and children in many stages of life. The majority of grant recipients are nonprofit organizations based in major urban areas including: Chicago; New York; Albany, N.Y.; Cleveland, Ohio; Austin, Texas; and Philadelphia. Grants range in dollar amounts from $145,000 to $300,000 and will be awarded over a two- or three-year period.
“We are delighted to fund programs with the potential to serve as national models for improving end-of-life care and depression treatment,” said Aetna Executive Chairman John W. Rowe, M.D. “Aetna has made both issues top priorities, launching highly regarded business initiatives in addition to making them a focus of charitable giving. In making these grants, we recognize that prompt diagnosis and treatment of depression do much more than improve a person’s overall health and quality of life; they alleviate the effects of a range of chronic illnesses, which can reduce the likelihood of premature death and help control rising health care costs.”
“Aetna wants to empower consumers in making well-informed decisions about their health care, particularly care received at the end of their lives,” said Troyen Brennan, Aetna Chief Medical Officer. “Similar to what we are doing in other areas of health care, Aetna has taken a leadership role in addressing racial and ethnic disparities and helping patients and their families cope with the complex and emotional issues associated with the end of life,” Brennan added.
2006 Quality of Care Grant Recipients:
— Advocate Charitable Foundation – Chicago, Ill. – $178,000 to address maternal depression within the pediatric primary care setting.
— American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, District II/NY – Albany, N.Y. – $150,000 to enhance early identification, diagnosis and treatment of perinatal depression: education and resources for women’s health care providers.
— Benjamin Rose Institute – Cleveland, Ohio – $278,000 for the development and testing of a care network for depression for older adults and family caregivers.
— Education Development Center, Inc. – Newton, Mass. – $145,000 to expand the Initiative for Pediatric Palliative Care: Creating a lasting institutional infrastructure in children’s hospitals and pediatric care facilities.
— Health Federation of Philadelphia, Inc. – Philadelphia, Penn. – $270,000 for Collaborative Care: Integrating a brief therapy model for depression among high risk minority populations at federally qualified health clinics.
— New York University Student Health Center – New York, N.Y. – $300,000 to improve depression care on four New York area college campuses using the Collaborative Care Model.
— Texas Partnership for End-of-Life Care – Austin, Texas – $239,000 for “Let’s Talk, Texas”: Advance care planning education.
— The University of Chicago – Chicago, Ill. – $250,000 for Palliative Access through Care at Home (PATCH): Reaching and teaching unmet needs of the elderly in the inner city.
— University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Mich. – $230,000 for depression awareness and stigma reduction in African American youth.
— The University of Pennsylvania/Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion – Philadelphia, Penn. – $210,000 for multi-site implementation of PRIDE (Promoting Residents Involvement in Decisions at End-of-Life), a hospice screening tool for nursing home residents.
About the Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Founded in 1972, the Aetna Foundation helps build healthy communities by promoting volunteerism, forming partnerships and funding initiatives that improve the quality of life where our employees and customers live and work. The Aetna Foundation supports innovative programs that lead the way in improving the quality of health care and reducing disparities among racial and ethnic populations. In 2005, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation contributed $19 million nationally. Additional information about the Aetna Foundation is available at www.aetna.com/foundation.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 28.3 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life, long-term care and disability plans, and medical management capabilities. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans and government-sponsored plans. www.aetna.com