Aetna Better Health of Georgia, a CVS Health company, announced that Aetna has provided a community investment of $140,000 to the Morehouse School of Medicine. The investment will support Morehouse School of Medicine’s Health Equity for All Lives (H.E.A.L.) student-run free clinic to provide comprehensive care to underserved populations in the Atlanta metropolitan area and surrounding rural communities.
“From the busiest cities to the quietest rural areas, all families deserve access to quality health care services, regardless of their location or circumstance,” said Georgia-based Sonya Nelson, division president at Aetna Medicaid. “We understand the healthcare challenges faced by many of Georgia’s underserved communities and are firmly committed to taking action to address the unique needs of these populations. Morehouse School of Medicine’s H.E.A.L. Clinic is doing just that—working to provide equitable access to health care for families across Georgia.”
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The Morehouse School of Medicine H.E.A.L. Clinic is the only student-run clinic in Georgia that is free for patients. The clinic provides health screenings and vaccination drives, as well as care services through in-person, telehealth and mobile health applications. This year, the clinic has a goal to provide no-cost health care to over 1,000 patients across Georgia’s underserved and uninsured populations.
“We’re grateful for the donation from Aetna to support the Morehouse School of Medicine H.E.A.L. Clinic in our efforts to address health equity in Georgia,” said Christopher Ervin, director of community-based initiatives at Morehouse School of Medicine. “The clinic’s goal is to promote equal access to healthcare services across Atlanta and its surrounding rural communities by delivering no-cost health services to underserved populations. Low-income populations face greater barriers to affordable and quality health care, which is why our work is critical to the communities we serve. The donation will help us to increase the number of uninsured patients we serve and provide them with high-quality care at no cost."
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Inclusive of this donation, Aetna has recently invested over $2 million in local, community-based organizations across the state to support underserved populations in Georgia. This funding will help address the care needs of people in both urban and rural communities to help ensure all Georgians have access to holistic, quality care, the company said.