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Aetna Foundation Awards Regional Community Health Grant to

Children’s Foundation Research Center at University of Tennessee

 

Memphis, Tennessee (November 19, 2004) — The Children’s Foundation Research Center (CFRC) of Memphis at the University of Tennessee (UT) has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the Aetna Foundation to support cultural competency training to healthcare teams in West Tennessee. This Regional Community Health Grant is designed to reduce health disparities by enhancing communication and promoting understanding of Hispanic culture.

Titled Salud para Todos (translated, “health for all”), the project will provide cultural sensitivity education via interactive workshops led by Espi Ralston and Martha Kantor of the CFRC. Three broad groups affiliated with healthcare will be targeted throughout Shelby, Fayette, Hardeman, and Tipton counties: the multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers; hospital associates; and students in health professions. 

“We are particularly excited about involving professionals early in their careers, as students entering healthcare fields,” said Dr. Marian Levy, CFRC’s associate director of health promotion and grants and UT assistant professor.  “In January, we will offer a five-part series of cultural competency programs to students enrolled in the colleges of medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy, and dentistry at the UT Health Science Center.”

 

 

Aetna Foundation Awards Grant to UT CFRC/page two

 

                According to Dr. Dennis Black, scientific director of the CFRC and UT professor, “Our ultimate goal is to improve health services and facilitate access to care. We are extremely grateful to the Aetna Foundation for their support and commitment to addressing health disparities.” 

The Children’s Foundation Research Center of Memphis is committed to the enhancement of education, clinical care and scientific advances in pediatric medicine.

            Aetna and The Aetna Foundation are focused on building healthy communities by reducing the gap in healthcare among racial and ethnic populations. In 2004, they were ranked 28^th nationally by Business Ethics magazine in its 100 “Best Corporate Citizens” ranking.  As one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care benefits, Aetna puts information and helpful resources to work for its approximately 13.6 million medical members, 11.6 million dental members, 8.3 million pharmacy members and 13.3 million group insurance members to help them make better informed decisions about their healthcare and protect their finances against health-related risks.  Aetna provides easy access to cost-effective healthcare through a nationwide network of more than 646,000 healthcare professionals, including over 385,000 primary care and specialist doctors and 3,908 hospitals.  For more information, please visit www.aetna.com.  (Figures as of September 30, 2004)

 

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