Grants will support improvements for more than
300,000 people as part of the Cultivating Healthy Communities
initiative
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:
Organization
Project Description State Served
City of Phoenix HousingDepartment
Affordable bike-sharing for low-income
residents who liveand work in the Edison-Eastlake Community in
Phoenix
Arizona
Friends of Public Radioof Arizona
Digital media bullying and cyberbullying
preventioncampaign
Arizona Rich City Rides
Free bikes, educational workshops and ride
celebrations toOakland-area residents
California
Institute for CommunityResearch
Leadership development for urban teens
engaged in creatingnew options for accessing fresh foods in their
communities
Connecticut
Jack & Jill Children'sCenter
Stress management, healthy eating and
financially sounddecision-making in a predominantly
African-Americanneighborhood in Fort Lauderdale
Florida
Alachua County Boardof CountyCommissioners
-Department of CourtServices
Healthy lifestyle and gardening workshops
for incarceratedindividuals participating in a work release
program
Florida
University ofFlorida/IFAS ExtensionClay
County 4-H
Hands on urban-agricultural experience for
Clay Countyyouth
Florida
Miami Children'sMuseum
Ten classes modeling nutrition and
wellness strategies for100 low-income families that have children
in Head Start orEarly Head Start
Florida
East Central FloridaRegional
PlanningCouncil
Urban agriculture and bike repair
activities to teach healthylife and vocational skills to Holden
Heights residents inOrlando
Florida
Farmworker Associationof Florida
Educational program focusing on
chemical-free farming viacommunity gardens in Florida, New Jersey,
and Washingtonstate
Florida Concordia Place
Nutrition and youth employment program for
low-incomeChicago teenagers
Illinois
Boston Public HealthCommission
Technical assistance and training for
Boston’s hair and nailsalons, auto shops to prevent pollution and
chemicalexposures
Massachusetts
BikeWalkKC
Leadership training to improve community
health, for a largefocus on increasing walking and biking
Missouri
Hopeworks ‘N CamdenInc
Youth-driven program highlighting and
encouraging use ofcommunity resources for Camden residents through
acustom app designed by youth
New Jersey
First NationsDevelopment Institute
Connecting tribal food retailers with
suppliers from Nativeowned local farms to increasing Native
families’ access tofresh foods
New Mexico The Doe Fund
Access to healthy foods in disadvantaged
communities andfood deserts in Brooklyn
New York Bountiful Cities
Three organizations joining to improve
food security througheducational programs in Asheville and Buncombe
County
North Carolina
Centralina Council ofGovernments
Improvement of Charlotte’s dangerous road
conditionsthrough on-the-ground demonstrations of
cost-effectivetraffic calming measures
North Carolina
Guilford ChildDevelopment
Two generation integrated service system
teaching familiesabout self-sufficiency
North Carolina Clean Air Council
Resident-led program to improve air
quality in Philadelphia’sKensington neighborhood
Pennsylvania
John BartramAssociation
Utilization of 45-acre river garden in
Southwest Philadelphiato encourage active lifestyles and promote
healthy eating
Pennsylvania
The SAFE Alliance(SAFE | Stop Abuse
ForEveryone)
Safe and healthy relationships workshops for youth
Texas It’s Time Texas
Revamping of low-use public spaces into
locales for fitnessclasses and walking groups for people of all
ages in high-needneighborhoods
Texas
University of HoustonFoundation
Program to engage high-risk
African-American and Latinoyouth in mindful eating and exercise
Texas
Migrant CliniciansNetwork
Program to teach migrant farmworker
families about how todecrease their and their children’s exposure
to harmfulpesticides
Virginia
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.html4National 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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Aetna Media Contact:Ethan Slavin,
860-273-6095SlavinE@aetna.com
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