Cigna (NYSE:CI) was one of nine organizations that U.S. Surgeon
General Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, recognized today for efforts to
reduce health care disparities. The recognition came at a special
roundtable at the White House hosted by the Department of
Health and Human Services, the White House Business Council
and the National Business Group on Health (NBGH).
U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, presents the Surgeon General's Medallion to leaders of Cigna's Health Disparities Council. Pictured left to right: Peggy Payne, the Surgeon General, Dr. Christina Stasiuk, Brooke Tomblin. (Photo: Cigna)
Dr. Christina Stasiuk, Cigna's national medical director for health
disparities, accepted the Surgeon General’s Medallion on
behalf of Cigna and its Health Disparities Council, including council
co-chair Peggy Payne, M.A., and council lead Brooke Tomblin, MPH. The
medallion is awarded in recognition of exceptional achievements that
advance the cause of public health and medicine.
Health disparities are differences in rates of disease, health outcomes
or access to health care that are related to many factors, such as
gender, age, geography, race/ethnicity, education, income, language,
culture, literacy, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
For example, Mexican Americans have nearly twice the rate of diabetes
compared to the general population, while African American men have 1.5
times the rate of high blood pressure. More women will die within
one year of their first heart attack than men. Health disparities
have many causes, including communications barriers, cultural beliefs
and practices, medical bias, variations in access to and quality of
care, low health literacy and social causes.
“We are honored to accept this award and recognition from the Surgeon
General of the United States, and Cigna will continue to advance this
important work in partnership with the Department of Health and Human
Services, the White House Business Council and the National Business
Group on Health,” said David Cordani, Cigna's president and chief
executive officer. “We believe that all of the people Cigna serves
should have access to high quality care and an equal opportunity to
enjoy good health. That’s why we’re working to remove cultural,
linguistic and other barriers, connecting people to meaningful health
information and studying new ways to engage people in health
improvement. This work reflects Cigna’s commitment to diversity and
inclusion, and is core to our belief that we must treat each customer as
a unique individual.”
“We are thrilled and grateful that the Surgeon General has honored Cigna
and the other organizations that we have recognized over the past two
years for their innovative programs to reduce health disparities,” said Helen
Darling, president and CEO of the National Business Group on Health.
“Good health for the entire population is crucial to quality of life,
our standard of living, productivity and the nation’s overall success.
It’s especially important that health service companies take an active
role in working to reduce health disparities and Cigna's leadership in
this area is commendable.”
In March, NBGH honored Cigna with its “Award
for Innovation in Reducing Health Care Disparities.” Today’s event
was an opportunity to further recognize Cigna and other organizations
that NBGH has honored during the past two years, and it provided an
opportunity for these organizations to share their experiences and
successes with one another, and discuss ideas for continuing the work to
reduce health care disparities.
Cigna launched its Health Disparities Council in 2008. It comprises more
than 200 employee volunteers from across the company’s departments who
facilitate the exchange of ideas, share knowledge, and identify internal
and external opportunities to address health care disparities in
culturally sensitive and medically appropriate ways.
A key part of Cigna's work has been improving the cultural competency
and linguistic sensitivity of its staff. More than 20,000 employees have
completed cultural competency training and all bilingual employees are
tested for proficiency. The company has also adapted into Spanish and
traditional Chinese its “Words We Use” guide for simpler communications.
The company has collaborated with organizations such as the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation’s Finding Answers program and RAND Corporation
to conduct health disparities research. The Finding Answers
study, which focused on high blood pressure, showed that people respond
to health communications that are tailored to them. People enrolled in
the study who had slightly elevated blood pressure were far more
receptive to the health message than were people with higher blood
pressure.
“It gets back to the concept of ‘know me as an individual,’ which is
fundamental to our strategy,” Cordani said. “If we’re going to be
successful at helping people improve their health, we have to reach them
at an appropriate time with meaningful messages that relate to their
unique status.”
Another project focused on reaching Haitian Creoles in South Florida.
Cigna's multi-lingual nurse case manager was having difficulty
contacting her Haitian customers after they were hospitalized or had a
serious medical issue. They would not answer the phone or return phone
messages even when the case manager’s messages were in French or Creole.
The solution was a culturally tailored, colorful and visually appealing
pictorial postcard. Simple pictures that conveyed “call your nurse” were
supplemented with short messages in French, Creole and English. The
result was improved contact between the case manager and her customers,
which led to individuals getting appropriate follow-up care and higher
levels of health engagement. In addition, the project showed that
non-traditional communications can be a successful approach for
contacting hard-to-reach populations.
The company is now working with the American Cancer Society to improve
rates of colorectal cancer screening among African Americans.
“The issues of health disparities and health equity weren’t being
adequately addressed five years ago,” Cordani said. “The work we’ve done
during that time has built a solid foundation and strong momentum for
the work we will continue to do in the years ahead.”
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 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
and vision care benefits, and other related products including group
life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains sales
capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has approximately 70
million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about
Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.
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