Aetna Foundation Awards $25,000 Grant to MAP International

HARTFORD, Conn., March 2, 2009 — The Aetna Foundation today awarded a $25,000 grant to MAP International, a nonprofit organization that promotes the total health — physical, economic, social, emotional and spiritual health — of impoverished people in over 115 countries.

The grant will support the organization’s Community Health Worker Program, which advocates the identification, training, equipping and supporting of community leaders as a primary tool for improving the health of individuals, families and communities. With programs in countries in East and West Africa, Latin and Central America and Southeast Asia, targeted local residents will receive customized training to address critical health issues facing their respective communities.

“Aetna is delighted to offer its support to MAP International, an organization whose mission aligns with our own business strategy,” said Martha Temple, president of Aetna Global Benefits (AGB). “Recently, through Aetna’s global expansion in such regions as Europe, Asia and the Middle East, we’ve gained a more universal view of health care and a greater sense for how we can help improve the total health of the diverse international communities that we serve. The Community Health Worker Program, in particular, reinforces our commitment to promoting optimum health outcomes, as well as educating and engaging stakeholders in managing their own health care.”

The grant was presented to Michael Nyenhuis, chief executive officer, by Carrie Chapman, AGB client services manager, and Margaret O’Brien, AGB sales director, at MAP headquarters in Brunswick, Georgia.

The Aetna Foundation is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Founded in 1972, the Foundation seeks to help build healthy communities by funding initiatives that improve the quality of life where Aetna's employees and customers work and live. Since 1980, Aetna (NYSE:AET) and Aetna Foundation have contributed more than $359 million in grants and sponsorships.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 37.2 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional 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, visit www.aetna.com.