Aetna Better Health of Illinois®, a CVS Health® company (NYSE: CVS), announced that Aetna® has provided a community investment of $100,000 to Bright Star Community Outreach to help support educational services in Chicago.
To encourage parent involvement on Chicago’s southside and to strengthen the education opportunities of the community’s youth, Bright Star Community Outreach’s long-standing Parent University and inaugural STEAM program equip parents with tools to support their children and help students excel with a high-quality STEAM curriculum. Studies show high parent involvement in school, fostered by early childhood intervention, promotes positive behavior in adolescents and reduces arrest for violent crime in emerging adulthood.
The support from Aetna will be used to fortify these programs.
“Providing access to education is a key factor in reducing violence and building healthier communities,” said CEO of Aetna Better Health of Illinois Rushil Desai. “Investing in sustainable programming that will provide advanced STEAM education to students and give parents insight into how to support their children is critically important. We look forward to working alongside Bright Star to get educational services to people when and where they need it.”
Located in Chicago’s Greater Bronzeville neighborhood, Bright Star Community Outreach implements community development initiatives that positively impact economic opportunities, mental health services, workforce development, food insecurity, education, and social determinants of health. These efforts are designed to strengthen local families and communities as well as leverage key partnerships with organizations and businesses that share a passion for seeing growth in these areas in Chicago.
“We are grateful for the support from Aetna and its investment in Bright Star’s Parent University and STEAM programming,” said CEO of Bright Star Community Outreach Pastor Chris Harris, Sr. “These funds will allow us to further serve the Greater Bronzeville community through enhanced and sustainable educational program offerings. Investments in underserved and underfunded communities from partners like Aetna continue to help our neighbors thrive in the communities they call home.”
Aetna has awarded over $700,000 in community investments in 2023 to support various Illinois organizations that assist Medicaid members with access to healthy food, job development, housing support, maternal and child health and access to care.
Aetna Better Health of Illinois offers access to quality, affordable health care to individuals through the state’s HealthChoice Illinois Medicaid program. The health plan serves over 420,000 members in 102 counties. For more information about Aetna Better Health® of Illinois, visit our website, www.aetnabetterhealth.com/illinois-medicaid.
