KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Aetna Foundation announced that it has awarded grants totaling $220,000 to seven organizations located in Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.

The amounts and recipients of the grants are:

• $40,000 to the Our Lady of Lourdes Foundation in Camden, N.J.;
• $35,000 to Women’s Development Institute International, Abington, Pa.;
• $30,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Trenton and Mercer County, N.J.;
• $30,000 to the Maternal and Child Health Consortium, West Chester, Pa.;
• $30,000 to Penrose School of Philadelphia;
• $30,000 to the Carl and Emily Weller Center for Health Education, Easton, Pa.;
• $24,000 to Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth.

“Aetna is proud to support organizations in Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey who are making great strides in targeting health care issues that affect our communities,” said Jeff Lucht, head of National Accounts for Aetna’s Mid-Atlantic Region. “We are a major insurer and employer in the area, and recognize our obligation to help address these critical needs.”

Aetna awarded a $40,000 grant to support a childhood obesity program run by the Our Lady of Lourdes Foundation. The program is aimed at preventing obesity among at-risk Hispanic newborns and toddlers in the Camden, N.J. area. The bilingual education program will be conducted for families that seek prenatal care from the Osborn Family Health Center.

The Women’s Development Institute International received a $35,000 grant to support its end-of-life care awareness program for the Asian-American community around Abington, Pa. Korean American Senior Services of Pennsylvania will provide training to nurse’s aides to help them better educate families about end-of-life care choices, including hospice care.

Aetna awarded a $30,000 grant to the Boys & Girls Club of Trenton and Mercer County for “Triple Play: Eat Right, Move Right and Live Right”, a wellness program focused on nutrition and physical fitness to help combat childhood obesity.

The Maternal and Child Health Consortium of West Chester, Pa. received a $30,000 grant to help fund a maternal depression project for low-income and minority women who are either pregnant or post-partum. The consortium will screen women who may be at risk for perinatal depression and help them gain access to quality mental health services.

Under a $30,000 Aetna grant, the Penrose School of Philadelphia will design and implement fitness programs to encourage healthy behavior among children in a medically underserved Philadelphia area. Through programs held during school and in the summer, the school will target children who are obese or at risk of becoming obese.

Aetna awarded a $30,000 grant to the Carl and Emily Weller Center for Health Education. The grant will help fund the “Food and Fitness for Life” program, which will facilitate obesity education between pediatricians and families at risk in the Easton, Pa. area. The program aims to engage 2,700 students in grades 2 through 4 to review the fundamentals of exercise and nutrition.

Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth received a $24,000 grant for an oral health resource guide targeted at health care providers and parents. The guide will include information on the importance of oral health care for children and clarification about how to access Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) dental benefits.

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 inception of this program in 2001, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have awarded more than $11 million to address critical health issues in communities across the country. The 2006 program focuses on supporting philanthropic initiatives that target depression, childhood health (oral health and obesity, including diabetes) and end-of-life care. Special consideration is given to programs that serve racially and ethnically diverse populations and that enhance access to quality health information and health care..

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

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Contacts
Aetna
Walt Cherniak, 410-691-1405
cherniakjrw@aetna.com
 
© Business Wire 2006