Aetna Better Health of Illinois establishes partnership with Connections for the Homeless
Aetna Better Health of Illinois®, a CVS Health® company (NYSE: CVS), announced a collaboration with Connections for the Homeless, a local provider of services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in suburban Cook County.
Aetna has donated over $60,000 to fund Connections’ eviction prevention and food security programs. Connections partners with thousands of individuals, families and youth, throughout 52 communities in suburban Cook County, experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. They collaborate with a network of other providers and partners like Aetna, as they work to end homelessness one person at a time.
“Connections for the Homeless provides a critical line of support to prevent eviction and assist unhoused community members across northern Cook County,” said Rushil Desai, CEO, Aetna Better Health of Illinois. “It takes a combined effort of many partners to address inequities in housing, access to employment opportunities and health care services. We’ll continue building our partnership with Connections and key provider partners in Evanston and surrounding communities to improve the overall health of our communities.”
Aetna has also built a new community garden for Connections located at “Our House” — a transitional housing program for youth, providing residents with fresh fruit and vegetables and an opportunity to learn about substantive and accessible gardening.
“Addressing people’s most basic needs is at the core of what we do — housing and food security are essential in building a road forward for our at-risk neighbors” shared Betty Bogg, CEO of Connections for the Homeless. “We are grateful for partners like Aetna Better Health of Illinois, who engage in a multi-faceted partnership offering critical financial and in-kind resources along with volunteers and hands on support, as we address the acute challenges facing program participants.”
Aetna supports various organizations across the state who assist Medicaid members with access to healthy food, job development, housing support, maternal and child health and access to care.
Aetna 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.
