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Showing health equity in action
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Giving preference to programs with community health workers
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Improving Mexican-American, Latino health through Emory program
The Cigna Foundation is making Community Health Navigation a priority
for its World of Difference grants in the United States, with a special
emphasis on the role community health workers play in addressing the
health needs of underserved individuals. Prioritizing Community Health
Navigation is a natural extension of the Cigna Foundation’s emphasis on
health equity, and will enable the Cigna Foundation to strengthen its
support of non-profits that help people whose health is worse than the
general population’s because of gender, race, place of residence, age or
economic status.
As a first step, the Cigna Foundation awarded a $115,468 World of
Difference grant to Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health
for its program to improve health for Mexican-Americans and Latinos in
the Atlanta region. The Cigna Foundation funding will support the
development of outreach workers to help this metropolitan community.
“In making a commitment to Community Health Navigation, we’re looking at
the ways in which communities support or detract from an individual’s
health – and we’re working with organizations that are discovering
unique and effective ways to help individuals through community
resources,” said David Figliuzzi, executive director of the Cigna
Foundation.
Community Health Navigation programs eligible for Cigna Foundation World
of Difference grants include those that provide face-to-face community
health workers (CHW), a health industry term that refers to trusted
advisors within a community who guide people through the complex health
care and social service systems. Other Community Health Navigation
programs may take the form of establishing community-based health
facilities, or creating online resources where people can easily access
health information they need. Regardless of the method, the goals of
Community Health Navigation programs are the same: to improve access to
primary care, reduce emergency room use, lower total medical costs, and
improve health and wellness for those in the programs.
“Spotlighting Community Health Navigation demonstrates our understanding
that what makes a person healthy or unhealthy often happens outside of
the doctor’s office, or traditional health care delivery. We plan to
pilot programs that are multi-faceted – collaborating with government,
social services and businesses – so we can speed help to those who need
it most and create sustainable change in our communities,” Figliuzzi
said.
Emory University will use the Cigna Foundation grant to launch the
Mexican-American Participatory Assessment (MAPA) Project, which includes
a new initiative under the “Ventanilla de Salud-Atlanta (VDSA)” program.
As a joint effort between the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta and the
Rollins School of Public Health, the VDSA aims to improve the health of
Mexican-Americans and Latinos and their families by providing preventive
health education, health screenings, and access to culturally
appropriate care. The MAPA project will pilot an innovative approach
that allows the VDSA to reach a broader audience, while also training
at-risk young adults as outreach workers and offering them entry-level
employment in health services.
“The Emory program holds great promise for improving health among an
underserved population, providing employment opportunities to youth, and
uncovering best practices we can use in building healthy communities
across the nation,” Figliuzzi said. “We’re excited to watch this work
get off the ground, and look forward to the successes ahead.”
The Cigna Foundation’s concentration on Community Health Navigation also
is evidenced in work underway in Memphis http://bit.ly/1Ri8C0Q
and Hartford http://bit.ly/23SKxCO.
For more information on the World of Difference grant program and
Community Health Navigation, go to www.Cigna.com/Foundation.
About the Cigna Foundation
The Cigna Foundation, founded in 1962, is a private foundation funded by
contributions from Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) and its subsidiaries.
The Cigna Foundation supports organizations sharing its commitment to
enhancing the health of individuals and families, and the well-being of
their communities, with a special focus on those communities where Cigna
employees live and work.
About Cigna
Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company
dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense
of security. All products and services are provided exclusively by or
through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including
Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life
Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America and Cigna
Life Insurance Company of New York. Such products and services include
an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental,
behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other
related products including group life, accident and disability
insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in 30 countries and
jurisdictions, and has more than 89 million customer relationships
throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to
follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.
About Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University
At the Rollins School of Public Health, students learn to identify,
analyze, and intervene in today's most pressing public health issues.
The school's location in Atlanta, referred to as the "Public Health
Capital of the World," also is home to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention; CARE; the national home office of the American
Cancer Society; The Carter Center; the Arthritis Foundation; numerous
state and regional health agencies; and the patient care, teaching, and
health-related research programs of Emory University's Woodruff Health
Sciences Center. This setting is ideal for hands-on research,
collaborations with the world's leading public health agencies, and
interdisciplinary work with national and international organizations.
The school comprises six academic departments: behavioral sciences and
health education, biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology,
health policy and management, global health, and hosts over two dozen
interdisciplinary centers. http://www.sph.emory.edu/
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