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Aetna and the Aetna Foundation Award $88,000 to Oklahoma Nonprofit Organizations

Posted on: Thursday, 21 December 2006, 15:01 CST

Aetna (NYSE: AET) and the Aetna Foundation announced today that three nonprofit organizations dedicated to addressing childhood obesity and end-of-life care in Oklahoma received grants totaling $88,000 from Aetna and the Aetna Foundation. The grants were awarded 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 Oklahoma grant recipients and amounts are:

The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center -- $30,000 grant received from Aetna for its health promotion programs to combat obesity in at-risk elementary schools and pre-K programs in two Oklahoma counties;

Young Mens Christian Association of Greater Oklahoma City -- $30,000 grant received from the Aetna Foundation for its summer day camp program to combat obesity for third graders through fitness and nutrition education;

St. Anthony Hospital Foundation -- $28,000 grant received from the Aetna Foundation for its Saints By Your Side program to allow trained volunteers to be by the side of patients as they near the end of life.

"Aetna shares the commitment of these organizations to improve the health and quality of life for Oklahoma residents," said Brian Forbes, vice president of sales for Aetna in Oklahoma. "By working together, we have an opportunity to increase access to information and health care services, particularly among the state's underserved."

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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