Reducing Barriers to Health Equity

Our Commitment

The Cigna Group Foundation is committing $9 million over three years to reduce key barriers to health equity through The Cigna Group Health Equity Impact Fund. Programming will address root causes of specific health disparities most prevalent in local communities. 

Our Why

Health equity is attained when every person has the opportunity to achieve their fullest health potential, regardless of economic, environmental, physical, or social circumstances.¹ We know that 80% of a person’s health is affected by things outside of medical care. These include personal habits and traits, and the conditions in the places where individuals live, play, and work – known as the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH).²

Our Partners

The work we want to do in our communities cannot be done alone. Many great nonprofit organizations have the reach and local network necessary to build healthier communities, so contributing to and collaborating with them will help strengthen our collective impact.

To start, the Health Equity Impact Fund is partnering with 15 organizations in Hartford, CT, and Houston, TX. Hartford grantees are supporting Black and Hispanic adults by increasing access to health care. Houston grantees are supporting Hispanic adults by addressing and reducing the prevalence of obesity and diabetes.

Examples of impact through funded grant programs include:

• Expanding mobile health units to new zip codes
• Nutrition education for adults with type 2 diabetes
• Pop-up grocery stores with a variety of nutritious options

Our Approach

The Cigna Group Health Equity Impact Fund will focus on specific geographies and work collaboratively to support, convene, and collaborate with nonprofit organizations serving local community members to address root causes of health inequities. 

We’ll continue using a hyper-local, data-led approach to identify additional locations and grant program goals that will address root causes of health disparities.