WASHINGTON, D.C. — Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Health Corp., announced a $100 million, five-year commitment to national community health and wellness with its Building Healthier Communities initiative, including support for local health care programs and services, during remarks at the National Press Club Headliners Luncheon Monday.
In Rhode Island, the effort will include funding for medication assistance for under-served populations at the Rhode Island Free Clinic; Support for opioid recovery services at United Way/Anchor Recovery; And support for youth outpatient programs for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders at Bradley Hospital, said Joseph Goode, senior director of corporate communications for CVS Health. Details on grants will be announced in first quarter, he said.
The initiative will be funded at $20 million annually by the company following its acquisition of Aetna Inc., as well as by the CVS Health Foundation and Aetna Foundation, according to a statement from CVS Health. The effort builds upon both organizations’ tradition of community investment, and focuses their combined scale, capabilities and resources on improving the health of communities across the U.S., the company stated.
The announcement comes as CVS continues following four steps it volunteered in December that keep some of CVS Health and Aetna’s operations separate. The steps were accepted by Washington, D.C., U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in his continuing review of the conditions of the merger.
“And while we’re still going through the review process with the district court as part of the [Tunney Act] I want to unequivocally state that CVS Health and Aetna are one company and our transformation work is already underway,” said Merlo at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference Jan. 8.
“As the new ‘Front Door to Health Care,’ our combined company will engage consumers with the care they need, when and where they need it – giving them human connections with pharmacists, nurse practitioners and others who can walk shoulder to shoulder down the path to better health, along with digital options for those who prefer to access care in the palm of their hand,” Merlo said in his remarks before the National Press Club.
Merlo said the new company will build a consumer-oriented approach to health care encouraging more participation with health programs and services, which he said will improve people’s health and reduce health care costs.
In sync with the company’s stated aspirations following its merger, the Building Healthier Communities initiative will focuses on three goals: Improving local access to affordable, quality care, addressing public health challenges and partnering with local communities:
Improving local access
CVS Health will expand its Project Health campaign to target more underserved and underinsured communities in 2019, aiming to reach more at-risk populations with free health and wellness screenings. Project Health will offer a no-cost comprehensive health assessment, including blood pressure, Body Mass Index, glucose and total cholesterol screenings, which can detect early risks for chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, according to a statement from the company.
The expansion of Project Health will also do more to screen for social determinants of health that affect personal health and communities, CVS Health stated. About 60 percent of life expectancy is driven by behavioral, social and environmental factors – including family, education, housing, and access to fresh food. More than 87 percent of patients who attend Project Health events report following up with their primary care physician and were significantly more likely to proactively discuss their blood pressure, BMI and blood sugar levels, according to the company’s own metrics, the company said.
Addressing public health challenges
CVS Health will make investments in support of innovative approaches to managing chronic disease, including diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. About 60 percent of Americans have at least one chronic disease, which accounts for 86 percent of health care spending, according to the company. Funding will support partnership organizations uniquely positioned to tackle these public health challenges, including the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association and American Diabetes Association.
CVS Health will also continue to help tackle the nation’s opioid crisis as part of its new commitment, the company stated. Funding will be directed to organizations that are innovating in the area of addiction treatment. CVS Health will partner with Easterseals to prevent and mitigate prescription drug abuse among our nation’s veterans, for example. Easterseals affiliates are in communities nationwide and are immersed in providing community-based care, including mental health and recovery services for veterans, their families and caregivers.
The company’s program, “Be The First” will continue funding universities, women’s colleges, community colleges and historically black colleges and universities to go tobacco-free through national and local partnerships including Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, CATCH Global Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Truth Initiative with the aim of producing the nation’s first tobacco-free generation.
Partnering with communities
Through the Aetna Foundation and its collaboration with U.S. News & World Report, CVS Health will support the Healthiest Communities rankings evaluating the health of about 3,000 communities across 10 categories, from education and population health to infrastructure and economy.
The CVS Health Foundation and Aetna Foundation will also continue supporting organizations that are dedicated to enhancing safe outdoor spaces, affordable transportation, and access to fresh fruits and vegetables, the company said.
“What’s clear to us is that it will take more than incremental steps to fix what is broken in the health care system. That’s why we’ve brought together CVS Health and Aetna to establish an innovative health care model that will create an entirely new consumer experience and lead to much healthier communities,” Merlo said.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.
