Winner: Cigna Foundation — World of Difference Grant: Improving Healthcare for Underserved Immigrant Latino and Caribbean Communities
In 2014, the Cigna Foundation initiated a new approach to improving individual and community health. Cigna World of Difference Grants offer significant support to organizations working to improve women’s health, children’s wellness, senior care and health equity—the four social issue priorities of Cigna’s corporate responsibility platform, Cigna Connects. The Foundation’s goal is to nourish, “incubators for innovation,” that build on local successes to positively impact health, well-being and sense of security in communities world-wide.
This fall, the Cigna Foundation awarded a $100,000 World of Difference grant to the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and Dr. Ina Vandebroek, an NYBG ethno medical research specialist, to support efforts to educate physicians on the use of traditional, plant-based medicine within the Latino and Caribbean populations in New York City.
Although medicinal plant usage is an important issue for those in the Latino and Caribbean communities, it’s not a topic that generally attracts major media attention. However, because of thoughtful, creative and persistent pitching, Cigna, NYBG and Edelman successfully attracted six media outlets to attend the media event.
The announcement of the grant resulted in over 14.5 million impressions with coverage in Wall Street Journal, Medical Daily, El Diario, NY1 Noticias, NEWS 12 The Bronx, NBC Channel 4, Telemundo, MedPage Today and WFUV 90.7. It also garnered social media attention with posts from Social Good News, Health News, Top Business News and Samantha N. Olsen at Medical Daily.
Honorable Mentions
- Holland & Knight LLP - "The FDA Fiddles While America Burns: American Sunscreen Innovation Marred by Bureaucracy While Melanoma Rates Increase"
- KPMG LLP - KPMG's Reading Relay
- Levi Strauss & Co. - Unveiling Dockers Wellthread and Talking About Dirty Jeans
- North Strategic - Jumpstart Charities Red Ball Campaign 2014
- The UPS Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and MSI - UPS Road Code: Teen Safe Driving Program
- Weber Shandwick and PEDIGREE Brand - PEDIGREE See what good food can do
- The Zeno Group – The Allstate Foundation Purple Purse