Aetna Awarded $150,000 to Northern California Nonprofits in 2008

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Aetna (NYSE: AET) and the Aetna Foundation in 2008 awarded community grants and sponsorships in Northern California totaling $150,000, with a particular focus on education and improving the lives of the underserved.

The contributions support Aetna’s commitment to enhancing the quality of health care, and reducing racial and ethnic disparities. In total, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation awarded more than $25 million nationally in 2008.

The six recipients of the community grants were:

* California Medical Association Foundation;
* University of California-San Francisco Foundation;
* Street Level Health Project;
* Children’s Hospital and Research Foundation;
* American Cancer Society; and
* American Heart Association, East Bay Division.

“Aetna is proud to support organizations in Northern California which are making great strides in targeting health care issues that affect our communities, said Curtis Terry, region head for Aetna in California. ”As a responsible corporate citizen, we recognize our obligation to help address these critical needs"

The Aetna Foundation awarded $37,500 to the California Medical Association for its Improving Diabetes Self Management initiative, which brings stakeholders together to create ways to empower patients to take greater control of their diabetes.

The University of California-San Francisco Foundation received a $37,500 grant for its Underrepresented Minority Nursing Initiative, which will increase the number of minority nursing faculty in nursing schools in the Bay Area and across California.

Under a $25,000 grant, the Street Level Health Project was able to continue to support Project Lideres de Salud (Leaders in Health), which is a mental health prevention program designed for low-income immigrant Latinos in the Bay Area.

The Aetna Foundation awarded a $22,500 grant to Children’s Hospital and Research Center Foundation for their Health Eating Active Living (HEAL) program. The grant will support the child psychologist and exercise physiologist, who help families develop support systems, role models and self-esteem through better nutritional habits and increased physical activity.

The American Cancer Society-California Division received two grants totaling $22,500 of which $20,000 was used as a sponsorship for the Relay for Life fundraiser in San Ramon. The remaining $2,500 went to support Daffodil Days, which raises funds for cancer research by delivering flowers, vases and teddy bears.

A $5,000 grant was given to the American Heart Association to support the 16th Annual East Bay Walk, which educated participants on the importance of walking as a way to fight heart disease and stroke, which are the number one and number three causes of death, respectively, in California.