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Aetna and the Aetna Foundation Award $362,000 to Texas Nonprofit Organizations

Posted on: Thursday, 21 December 2006, 15:00 CST

Aetna (NYSE: AET) and the Aetna Foundation announced today that 13 nonprofit organizations dedicated to addressing childhood health issues, end-of-life care and depression in Texas received grants from Aetna and the Aetna Foundation totaling $362,000. The grants were made as part of the company's 2006 Regional Community Health Grants program.

The Regional Community Health Grants program supports Aetna's commitment to enhancing the quality of health care, and reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. The 2006 Regional Community Health Grants program awarded a total of $2.9 million across the country for philanthropic initiatives that target depression, childhood obesity, diabetes and oral health, and end-of-life care. Priority consideration was given to programs that serve racially and ethnically diverse populations, and that enhance access to quality health information and health care.

The following grants were awarded by the Aetna Foundation:

UTHSCSA National Center of Excellence in Women's Health -- $40,000 for its program to train providers to identify and treat postpartum depression in minority women;

Harris Methodist Fort Worth -- $35,000 for its end-of-life training program for health care professionals;

The Seton Fund of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul -- $30,000 for its Healthy Kids -- Healthy Families program to address childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes;

Cook Children's Physician Network -- $27,000 for its Fit Families intervention program for morbidly overweight and obese children;

Children's Oral Health Center -- $25,000 for its Meeting the Need: The Little Clinic that Can! program to provide free comprehensive oral health care for indigent Dallas Independent School District students;

Communities in Schools Houston, Inc. -- $25,000 for its Project MOVE dental services program for disadvantaged children;

Dental Health for Arlington Inc. -- $25,000 for its SMILES school-based preventive care dental program;

Harris County Hospital District Foundation -- $25,000 for its Compassionate Care: A Focus on Dying Well program to promote quality and dignity of life for terminally ill patients;

Krist Samaritan Center for Counseling and Education -- $25,000 for its program for the treatment of depression and other disorders in Spanish-speaking patients;

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston -- $25,000 for its Games for Wellness project to address childhood obesity;

Wonders & Worries -- $25,000 for its family psychosocial support program for end-of-life care.

The following grants were awarded by Aetna:

Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers -- $30,000 for its program to treat childhood depression using competency-based family therapy;

Memorial Hermann Foundation -- $25,000 for its palliative care education program in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Children's Hospital.

"Aetna is pleased to be able to join together with these organizations that are working hard to combat serious health issues in the state," said Jeff Bernhard, vice president of National Accounts for Aetna in Texas. "We share their commitment to improving the health and quality of life for Texas residents, particularly those who may have difficulty gaining information and access to the health care system."

The Aetna Foundation is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Founded in 1972, the 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.

Since the Regional Community Health Grants program began in 2001, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have awarded more than $11 million to address critical health issues in communities across the country.

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 29.8 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 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

Source: Business Wire

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