Aetna, The Aetna Foundation, And Employees Contributed More Than $22 Million To Nonprofits In 2011

HARTFORD, Conn., March 21, 2011 — Aetna (NYSE: AET) and the Aetna Foundation together awarded nearly $15.6 million during 2010 to nonprofits across the nation addressing a variety of health issues, including racial and ethnic equity in health care, obesity among adults and children, and needed improvements in the integration and coordination of health care services.  In addition, grants were made to arts and cultural programs, human services organizations, academic opportunities, faith-based initiatives and many others.  

Aetna employees, retirees and directors donated an additional $6.9 million in 2010 through the company's matching gift program, bringing combined giving in communities where Aetna employees and customers live and work to nearly $22.5 million.  And, Aetna’s employees donated more than dollars, generously giving nearly 335,000 hours of their personal time and talents. Since 2003, Aetna employees have logged more than 2.3 million volunteer hours.

“During 2010, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation were pleased to provide grants to 661 nonprofit organizations, and to match the generosity of our employees to another 9,492 organizations within our communities,” said Anne Beal, M.D., MPH, Aetna Foundation president.  “We also made significant progress toward our goals of concentrating our grants on specific health issues of national concern, giving nearly $2.35 million to the fight against obesity, $1.24 million to improve racial and ethnic equity in health and health care, and more than $1 million to support better integrated health care in America.” 

Complementing the Aetna Foundation’s grant-making, was the hard work of Aetna’s numerous employee volunteers.

“Once again in 2010, Aetna’s employees demonstrated their generosity and their commitment to making a difference in the communities where they live and work,” said Floyd Green, Aetna’s head of Community Relations and Urban Marketing. “We are continuing to build a more holistic relationship with a number of community partners and bringing increased focus on the unique talents and presence of Aetna’s employee volunteers who give willingly of their time, energy and finances to a number of causes.”    
 
About the Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation, Inc. is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc.  Since 1980, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have contributed $394 million in grants and sponsorships, including $15.6 million in 2010.  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 have volunteered more than 2.3 million hours since 2003.  Our current giving is focused on addressing the rising rate of adult and childhood obesity in the U.S.; promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and health care; and advancing integrated health care. For more information, visit www.AetnaFoundation.org.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 35.3 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com. To learn more about Aetna's innovative online tools, visit www.aetnatools.com.