Aetna Voices Of Health Campaign Begins Online Voting

HARTFORD, Conn., August 28, 2012 — Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced today that online voting is under way in the 2012 “Aetna Voices of Health” national campaign. Aetna created the campaign in 2011 to honor groups that share its goals of closing racial and ethnic health care quality gaps and helping people live healthier lives.

Voting is now open at www.aetnavoicesofhealth.com for 34 nominated organizations that have succeeded in closing those gaps and are working to improve people’s health and well-being. The voting runs through Oct. 14. Aetna will donate $30,000 to the group that gets the most online votes and $20,000 to the second-place finisher.

“Aetna is very proud again this year to honor local organizations through the ‘Aetna Voices of Health’ campaign,” said Floyd W. Green III, vice president and head of Aetna’s Community Relations and Urban Marketing. “We were delighted with the response of last year’s campaign, which gave people across the country a chance to help us honor the wonderful work being done to end disparities.”

Latino Health Access, a Santa Ana, Calif.-based organization whose community health workers help thousands of people improve health behaviors each year, was chosen to receive first prize last year. Nearly 640,000 people participated in the voting. Aetna created “Voices of Health” as part of its support of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project. Aetna donated $1.275 million to support the project, with a portion of its gift used to help plant 180 new cherry trees at the memorial site in Washington, D.C.

The “Aetna Voices of Health” campaign honors people who share Aetna’s goal of ending disparities. The groups promote wellness locally by fighting conditions like asthma, diabetes and childhood obesity, which hit people of color at higher rates.

Each group is featured on a special website where their stories will be told. Then, through social media and online advertising, Aetna is asking people to vote for a winner. Groups also are reaching out to ask for votes, building word-of-mouth attention and awareness.

The 2012 nominees follow:

East:  The African-American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey Inc. (Trenton, N.J.); ArtsQuest (Bethlehem, Pa.); Dance Theatre of Harlem (New York); Everybody Wins! DC (Washington, D.C.); Junior Achievement of Central Maryland Inc.(Owings Mills, Md.); Morris County Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce (Florham Park, N.J.); Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives (New York); Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress (Philadelphia); The Three Doctors Foundation (Newark, N.J.); and The Village For Families & Children Inc. (Hartford, Conn.).

Southeast:  Aqua Foundation for Women (Miami); HandsOn Jacksonville (Jacksonville, Fla.); Inspiring Kids Academy Inc. (Decatur, Ga.); Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (Miami); North Fulton Community Charities (Roswell, Ga.); South Florida Urban Ministries Inc. (Miami); The Stewart Foundation (Atlanta); and Vision Is Priceless Council Inc. (Jacksonville, Fla.).

Midwest:  Girls on the Run-Chicago (Chicago); Joffrey Ballet (Chicago); and Healthy Schools Campaign (Chicago).

Southwest:  AT&T Performing Arts Center (Dallas); Dallas Mayor’s Youth Fitness Initiative (Dallas); Icon Outreach Center Inc. (Houston); Mental Health America of Greater Houston (Houston); Neighborhood Centers Inc. (Houston); and West Dallas Community Centers Inc. (Dallas).

West:  Accept The Challenge (Phoenix); American Indian Healing Center (Whittier, Calif.); Barrio Logan College Institute (San Diego); Keiro Senior HealthCare (Los Angeles); Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation (Phoenix); and Phoenix Day (Phoenix).

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.7 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, Medicaid health care management services and health information technology services. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.