[December 19, 2012]

Cigna Foundation Gives $5,000 Grant to Phoenix's Meals While You Heal Program

Cigna Foundation made a recent $5,000 grant to the East Valley Adult Resource's Meals While You Heal program, which helps care for local seniors recently discharged from the hospital by delivering meals to patients' homes. The grant will add 625 meals and 50 individuals to the program.

"We are proud of our recent contribution that will help provide good nutrition to seniors in our community who are recovering from a stay at the hospital," said Kristi Thomason, vice president of health plan operations for Cigna Medicare Select. "The remarkable services East Valley Adult Resources provides for the community fall right in line with Cigna's mission to support members of the community in which we live and serve."

"East Valley Adult Resources is very appreciative of the donation from the Cigna Foundation supporting Meals While You Heal," said Dan Taylor, CEO of East Valley Adult Resources. "This service provides emergency meals to seniors recently discharged from the hospital. This critical service reduces readmission rates and provides support for the recipient to recover faster."

In addition to donating to the Meals While you Heal program, locally Cigna is spearheading other initiatives to aid hospital recovery and reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions for its Phoenix Medicare customers. Cigna Medical Group (CMG), the group practice division of Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, has launched the CustomCare After the Hospital program, which dedicates a team of health care providers to patients recently discharged from the hospital to help ease patients' transition and ensure a healthy recovery.

In the program, a CMG patient meets with a dedicated team of health care providers within days of being discharged from the hospital. A physician revews prescriptions, provides education about the patient's medical condition and answers any questions the patient may have. The ultimate goal of the CustomCare After the Hospital program is to provide post-hospital follow-up care to help patients achieve a healthy recovery and avoid unnecessary health problems that could send them back to the hospital.

"We continue to innovate better ways of caring for our patients, particularly as their needs become more complex over time," said Edward Kim, president and general manager of Cigna Medical Group. "One of the challenges of transitioning back to the home is healthy eating. Meals While You Heal is invaluable in helping patients meet nutritional requirements while they get back on their feet."

This recent grant from the Cigna Foundation is part of a larger commitment that Cigna has made to the communities in which the company serves its customers. Just this fall, Phoenix employees raised a record breaking $40,000 and 4,000 pounds of non-perishable food items for their annual food drive benefiting St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance. Over the past five years, Cigna has given back nearly $500,000 to charities in the Phoenix market.

About the Cigna Foundation

The Cigna Foundation 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 Medical Group

Cigna Medical Group (CMG), the group practice division of Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, Inc. is an NCQA-recognized Patient-Centered Medical Home and one of the Valley's largest multi-specialty group practices with 23 health care centers and two convenience care clinics located throughout metropolitan Phoenix. Each health care center is equipped with several medical services under one roof, so additional diagnostic needs such as lab work, imaging-even prescriptions-can be quickly obtained. CMG is also the group medical practice for Cigna HealthCare of Arizona's Medicare Advantage Plan, the highest-rated plan in Arizona, with 4.5 out of 5 stars for 2013 by www.medicare.gov. Plan performance summary star ratings are assessed each year and may change from one year to the next. To learn more about Cigna Medical Group, including a virtual tour and to follow us on Twitter (News - Alert), visit www.cignamedicalgroup.com.

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 approximately 71 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook (News - Alert) or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.

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